To Ed Is Human, To Forgive Is Kanker
by The Brod Road
Summary: Double D decides to visit Marie Kanker in an effort to make peace between them. He never thought he'd have to visit her at such a location, however... (Hints of impending Edd/Marie.)
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: I was suddenly inspired to write this after an Ed, Edd, n Eddy Facebook page shared a link to an article, the headline claiming that the Eds were victims of sexual harassment. Didn't bother reading the article, as it sounded like it'd be more of the Political Correctness jargon trying to name (and shame) everything wrong with shows from the past or something like that. But, that headline did give me the idea for this fic.

I'm completely unsure if anybody wrote up a similar story, so if I did, I apologize. It does sound like a scenario that might've been thought up already. But I'm fairly certain nobody's done this yet…. I think. I skimmed through the list of Edd/Marie stories that're on here and haven't found anything of the sort, so I'm going with it. In any case, this is my first Ed, Edd n Eddy fic, so I hope I did well.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

To Ed Is Human, To Forgive Is Kanker

Eddward, better known as Edd or Double D, felt an apprehension about his destination that was quickly becoming familiar to him, despite usually wanting to be as far away from this place as possible. But despite the run-down filth of his current surroundings that brought forth his usual urge to sanitize himself, he was focused on the main reason for his venture.

It had been some time since the fateful incident involving Eddy's notorious brother. The cul-de-sac was shaken up from it, but some things gradually returned to some sense of normal. However, change seemed to be inevitable… One such change involved the place that Double D was now just entering. If anybody had told him a few months ago that he would be willingly entering the domicile of the Kanker Sisters, he'd laugh them out of the neighborhood.

Then again, if anybody had told him that the Kankers would end up housed in a juvenile penitentiary, he would've considered the possibility. And yet, here he was… Peach Creek Juvenile Correctional Facility. As he looked upon the sign adorned atop the main entrance, he couldn't help releasing a sigh. As much as the trio of… hyperactive sisters bothered him and his fellow Eds, Edd was not one to wish jail time upon them. It wasn't like they were actively trying to murder him or burn his house down or even scam tons of money out of them via elaborate diversions. (Eddy would've had a conniption fit about anybody "stealing his gimmick". Oddly enough, Lee understood that.) Not to mention, the young prodigy realized a lot sooner than most people that plenty of kids did foolish things in their immaturity. It was no reason to condemn the Kankers to waste the remainder of their youth in prison…

Alas, that was the case when Eddy's parents actually caught the Kankers in the act when the rowdy siblings tried to forcibly seduce the Eds yet again. Things were said. Police were called. Sexual assault and harassment charges were filed. Eddy's parents proved to be as stubborn and loudmouthed as their progeny and thus, the Sisters were convicted. Double D didn't like reminiscing about all that, despite the promise of a Kanker-free life as a teenager. Victory, it seemed, didn't taste as sweet as it once promised. He chalked it up to the method of their surprise victory. He just wanted them to back off, not rot in prison. It took a lot for him to become that vengeful toward anyone and, usually, Eddy's greedy schemes had truly angered him more times than the Kankers' antics. Hell, even the overly friendly Ed had upset the young genius a couple of times, such as that incident with Ed's "lucky" piece of moldy cheese….

He put his thoughts behind him for now as a guard guided him to the visitors' room, the usual wall of cubicles, each with a bulletproof barrier and a phone, greeted his eyes with its dreariness. On the other side of the third booth sat his blue-haired former tormentor, Marie. The orange garb that was the standard prison attire enforced his belief that this whole situation was uncalled for, but he would just have to deal for now. This would be his fourth visit.

He still recalled his first visit, where she yelled and screamed and raged about being imprisoned there and how it was "his" fault and about how the Eds "ratted them out". Edd had wanted to cry from all that shouting. He had wanted to run and hide and be glad she was there for a long, long time. But he stayed and let her vent. After all, his reasonable mind calculated, it was only fair that she get to at least speak her mind. Research backed up how unhealthy it was to keep things bottled up…

Even with his logic, Marie's display of rage had kept him from visiting again for two whole weeks. He didn't even want to after letting her vent. But something made him build up enough nerve to make the second trip. As he now walked over to his booth, he fondly remembered the look of surprise on Marie's face when she saw that her next visitor was Double D again. Apparently, he was her only visitor so far…

And so they had talked. Not much. Just a bit about this and that. Marie gave him a brief outlook of the conditions of youth prison life, which he deemed deplorable. In return, Edd had regaled her with a couple of things he noticed with the cul-de-sac, such as Eddy's latest gag of 'The World's Largest Fidget Spinner'. (Which had turned into another failure when it was revealed to be one of those giant wind energy fans that Ed, with his insane strength, somehow tore off.) The conversation had been short, but a lot calmer than his first visit.

Then, a week and a half later, he visited her a third time. It was then that they started to really converse. To Edd, it was good that he could finally piece together the puzzle that was why the Kankers behaved the way they did. Apparently, as was evident by the bathrobes the Kankers had dressed the trio of Eds in when they first met, the sisters had the same mother but three different fathers, all of which were deadbeats that ran off. Marie confirmed Edd's immediate suspicions that their fathers' actions, combined with their mother's jaded attitude afterward, gave the Kankers a warped view of love and boys. A belief that they, as he paraphrased for efficiency, 'must capture their men and make sure they can't disappear'.

Even so, that still left a giant piece missing from Edd's musings. One which he intended on asking today. He sat down and picked up his phone, a smile greeting Marie before he spoke.

"Hello again, Marie. And how are we this fine day?" Edd asked politely. Fortunately for him, today was one of Marie's better days in the joint.

"Eh, it's alright, Oven Mitt. For a prison, anyway…" Marie responded, her face marred by her now-usual disdain toward her imprisonment.

"I see…" Edd said, once again feeling a twinge of guilt over her predicament. Marie chuckled. His expression must've reflected that guilt.

"It's nice that you're worrying about me, Double D… You're still the only one that does." Marie said, sounding like she could use a good pick-me-up. "Well, aside from Lee and May, but that's a given, considering they're my sisters…. and that they're also in here somewhere." Apparently, the Kankers weren't kept in the same cell.

"What about your mom?" Double D asked. "You mean to tell me that she still hasn't returned to visit you three again?"

"She's a hard one, that woman… Nope. I guess she meant what she said when she dropped by after our first day here, that we're 'on our own now'… Bah… She probably didn't want to get all mushy. Being stuck in a broken-down trailer and having terrible luck with money, work, and love will harden some people, I guess… I dunno." Marie answered, her face souring into an expression of annoyance. Edd was pretty sure that Marie was hurt by the sting of what appeared to be parental abandonment, but he understood why she didn't want to fully show it as more than as a vexing bother. He hoped that the Kankers' perceived hardiness and relative independence could see them through this.

"Gee, I'm sorry, Marie…" Edd answered, his guilt intensifying. Again, Marie chuckled.

"I guess I am too. Being in here kinda opened my eyes to some things. Guess we were pretty pushy, huh?" she quipped.

"I'd be lying if I said no, I'm afraid." Double D answered, honest as ever.

"Which reminds me… I'm sorry for yellin' at you when you first visited. I know it wasn't your fault. Who knew the 'rents would start actually paying more attention to things, huh?" Marie said, passively fidgeting with the phone cord.

"Oh, that's quite alright. It's natural to want to unleash your frustrations on someone willing to listen. In fact, I'm glad you did. I'd worry about your mental health otherwise." he admitted, waving off her apology.

"Wait, you're glad I yelled at you? You'd actually worry about little ol' me that much?" Marie asked.

"In this instance, yes and yes. As unlikely as it seems, I do consider you to be… well… a strange sort of acquaintance. In some ways, I wouldn't say 'friend', but on the other hand, we've received worse treatment from others. For instance, Kevin…" Double D explained, shivering as he recalled some of the things the red-capped bully did to the trio whenever he was enraged.

"Good point. Shovel Chin could never resist a chance to beat you guys up back then. But thanks, Double Dreamboat… Really, thank you for listening to me… and visiting… and talking. Heh… Look at you, Mr. Straight-And-Narrow… Taking time out of all your school learning and science work to visit a lowly prison bitch…"

"Cease your self-depreciation, Marie! You are many things, but I never once considered you a bitch. An annoyance, yes, but you're just as human as the rest of us. I will also have you know that I have never once considered prison to be your ultimate fate." Double D adamantly stated. He didn't know for sure why he instantly disliked the idea of Marie talking down about herself so much. The first reason his mind came up with was that it might have something to do with his general politeness. He certainly didn't think of the bluenette as anything more than an acquaintance/friend, right? He couldn't. Nope. Most definitely not.

"You and your big words… That's one reason why I chose you, Double D. You're smart. Sure, you're a little… uh… meek? But you'd at least know what to do. I mean, look at the tons of crazy stuff you came up with for Shortstuff's scams, man! And you had to totally McGuyver all that crap! I find that amazing…" Marie said, her familiar smirk coming back. Edd felt like he hadn't seen that smirk in ages. He was confounded as to why it seemed like he genuinely missed her smirk…

"Why, thank you, Marie. That's really nice of you to say." Edd said, smiling back at her. Then, he realized something. "Wait… McGuyver? Isn't that reference a bit outdated?"

"Blame our economy-class cable. All we get is 4 stations of old syndicated TV shows and one news channel. Oh, and that one channel that only shows Fish Bowl 2…" Marie retorted with a roll of her eyes. Or, from Edd's perspective, eye.

"Like they couldn't afford something a bit more relevant in this show…" Double D muttered, seemingly to himself.

Marie giggled. "I like it when you're weird, Oven Mitt."

"Well, we all seem to be more than a little abnormal, Marie. Listen to the guy three booths down to our right…"

And so they did. What came to their ears was a loud one-sided conversation, led by someone very familiar to the two of them…

"You what, Plank?... They put you in jail for that? Hahaha, you're a funny guy, Plank! So when're ya getting out? … Aw, man, that'll be forever. Was it worth it? ….. Haha, you're crazy!"

Double D turned his attention away from the abrasive voice of Jonny 2x4 and back to the much more interesting bluenette. "I rest my case. How an inanimate object could end up being the prisoner instead of his owner is beyond me."

Marie genuinely laughed at the situation. "You're totally right! Well, I feel better. Thanks, Edd!" she said between laughs, using his real name for the first time. Edd suddenly began to feel like this wasn't so much a prison visit as it was two people getting to know each other better and cracking jokes for fun.

"Anytime, Marie. So, uh… Any other reasons why you chose me…?" Edd timidly asked before nerves stopped him, figuring now would be a good moment to see why she chose him when there was plenty of other, better, less-fragile people out there.

"Well, seeing as all our dads were douchenozzles, I kinda figured out that maybe that's not the kind of dude I should go after. Maybe someone nicer, someone that wouldn't toss me aside like I was just a passing fancy… Someone dependable that would treat me to cool things here and there. Someone I know wouldn't lay a hand on me if I didn't want them to. Hey, we live in a scummy trailer park so I was bound to see some things the neighbors do to each other… Be thankful our dads just ran away like cowards instead of…." Marie trailed off, leaving Edd to easily figure out what she meant.

"I… see. I guess I'm flattered. Your logic is fairly sound, given the situations of your undesirable childhood. Growing up quickly is almost always a tragic thing. Personally, I wish all three of your sisters had your logic, however. I'm not so sure Eddy is the best choice for Lee, if you ask me…" Edd remarked, knowing Eddy's penchant for cons and easy money. Even with the incident with Eddy's brother, Edd was sure that the shortest of the trio wouldn't fully crack his money addiction so quickly. Some things take time.

"I hear ya. But I know Lee. If anything, they'd butt heads so much that Eddy wouldn't have time to rip off the cul-de-sac. I like to think that whatever time they don't spend butting heads, they spend butting lips." Marie joked, cracking herself up with giggles.

Edd gave her a little smirk, his mind picturing the tall redhead and the short con-artist arguing from place to place to place to place. It was quite plausible a scenario. Sure, it didn't seem like the healthiest of relationships, but the young prodigy hoped that the two would balance each other out, if Eddy were to give Lee an actual chance. Edd always tried to be the optimist.

"I'm sure the cul-de-sac is hoping for that." Edd snickered, causing Marie to snort with laughter.

"I can hear it now. 'Oh, thank you, Lee Kanker, for ridding that jerky Eddy of his scamming ways! Our wallets praise you!' Yeah, that'd be fun!" Marie said, laughing away. Edd actually felt good from hearing her laughter, which was new since it used to always bring him nothing but fear and dread.

"Yes, indeed. Although, it'd be pretty ironic too, considering that you three weren't exactly the most innocent. Remember the time Ed accidentally stole your… I believe you phrased it as 'Ship Inna Bottle'?" Edd pointed out, chuckling. Marie's snorting laughter continued.

"Ya mean the time we ended up flattening the entire neighborhood in search of our family heirloom? Oh jeez, yeah, I remember. The city really paid for that repair bill. For a hot minute, the news deemed us as a 'renegade militia gone mad', as they somehow couldn't figure out who did it. Odd how the other kids didn't rat us out… Not our proudest moment, but still… fun times!" Marie laughed so hard, she fell off her chair. Fortunately, the phone cord was long enough to handle that.

"Not as lacking in pride as that time we came across this strange boomerang that altered the personalities of he or she who held it. Now that was quite awkward. Eddy thought he was a mother, dress and all." Edd recalled.

Marie went silent as she got back on her chair, looking like she was holding her mouth shut with a hand in front of a manic grin. Then she burst out laughing again. "Eddy? A mommy?! Ya gotta be yankin' me! That's rich! Hey, what'd it make you into?" she asked between snorts of laughter.

Edd blushed in embarrassment. "Oh, I'm too embarrassed… According to Eddy, I was…. I was… Oh, jeez…!"

Marie was calming down, but looking expectantly at him. Edd knew she wouldn't take no for an answer. He also figured that, by revealing such a humiliating moment, it would help her budding trust in him grow even more. After all, who would reveal such low moments to someone considered an enemy?

"I acted in the mannerisms of what they call… a nudist hippie…" he muttered into the phone. He then began to somewhat understand why Eddy hated clip shows, although he himself wouldn't ever fully detest reminiscing on past interesting moments.

"N… nudist hippie…?" Marie repeated, the eye that Edd could see widening in what he guessed was increased interest. Figures she'd like that idea. She calmly chuckled, which surprised Edd as he was expecting more of her loud, raucous laughter. "My, didn't know you had a wild child in ya. Maybe sometime down the line, I can see if I can bring that outta ya again." she mused in an inviting tone.

Normally, Edd would have vehemently refused such an obvious invitation. But something held his tongue from speaking such a denial.

"Maybe, Marie." he answered with a smile. "Maybe. First thing is to get you out of there, of course."

"Wow… It's not a no? I must be getting through to you." Marie smirked that devious smirk of hers.

"We shall cross that bridge when we get to it. But onto more important matters, I've been thinking…" he said, wanting to stick to the topic at hand.

"Of a way to dig me out?" Marie jokingly asked, chuckling as she watched him fluster about in response to her question.

"Wha? No, of course not. I mean, not illegally… I mean… ahem… I've been thinking of asking Mother and Father if they can do anything to help ease your sentence. They are pretty well-to-do and know their way around a lot of legal matters. Perhaps if I played the card of the situation being a… a misunderstanding…" Edd rambled on, calculating aloud how he might possibly convince his parents to help get his old annoyance/new friend out.

Marie was genuinely touched by the gesture. After all that time of being a downright clingy harpy to him and he not only visits her to talk and give her some company, but is willing to help give her a second chance. He'd even be willing to bend the truth for her, something she knows would normally bother the strictly honest boy. ('Misunderstanding', her ass. Eddy's parents knew what they saw.) She definitely knew for sure she chose the right boy to go after. Who said nice guys have to finish last? Even if things with his parents didn't work out, she felt grateful that she had someone who was in her corner.

"Thank you, Edd." she said, interrupting his calculations. What gave the 'sock-head' pause was how softly she said it. Looking at her, she had a look that Edd was completely unfamiliar with. It wasn't her devious smirk that promised trouble. It wasn't her horny expression of lust. It wasn't anywhere close to a look of rage that she'd get whenever the Eds foiled any scheme of theirs. No, it was a smile. A full-on genuine smile.

If they had first met under different circumstances and she smiled at him like that, Edd's crush on Nazz would've had some serious competition.

"You're…. quite welcome." Edd finally replied, still taken aback. "I'll see what I can do. Okay?"

"Okay, Oven Mitt. Come back soon, alright…?" she asked, noticing one of the guards giving her a 'wrap it up' gesture. Accursed time limits… "Besides my sisters, it's actually pretty cool to have a friend to talk to… Everybody else in here are either guards or they're in for a lot worse than what I've done…" Marie said, her face souring at the thought of some of the real brats that she was locked up with.

"I will, Marie. Perhaps this weekend?"

"Sounds like a date!" Marie smirked as Edd flinched. "Just kidding, Double D. Sounds like a good time."

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:** Not sure where to go from here, so I guess I'll end it here. If people like this and want me to keep going, I might see if I can think of where to go from here. But anyways, there ya have it. Edd being an often visitor of Prisoner Marie, despite their conflicting past. Not sure how much sense this made, considering I wrote this in a span of 2 days from a sudden burst of inspiration. If this needs any pointers or if this actually turned out pretty good, please feel free to let me know!


	2. Progress

Author's Note: A few reviewers already demanded more, so here's more! Lol. I had a thought of how to continue this and that thought was what I started to type out, but after a couple of pages, my mind just took off and I kept typing away in what would probably equate to throwing crap at a wall and seeing what sticks… So, I'm really hoping I did a good job. My mind aflame with sudden creative energy, I just barreled through this with not much editing, other than the standard spell-checking proofread, trying to get my ideas out before I forget about 'em.

Disclaimer: If I did own something, wouldn't this somehow be canon?

Chapter 2: Progress

'Oh, I should have known better. Those two rapscallions. Ugh… The things I do for some people.' Eddward thought miserably as he stood in the visitor's entrance of Peach Creek Juvenile Correctional Facility. It was going to be his sixth visit with Marie, a person he was quickly becoming comfortable calling a friend, as surprising as that was to him. Sadly, he had yet to convince his parents to have a word with the legal authorities in charge of the Kanker case. Parents, he figured, seemed to be a stubborn bunch. But he wouldn't give up just yet. He would keep visiting her and engage in more conversation. Perhaps proving that she wasn't a harmful person after all would be beneficial to his case.

But at the moment, he was thinking more about the latest monkey wrench to be thrown into his plans. It took all he had to drag Ed and Eddy with him all the way here in hopes that all three Kankers could get a visit from all three Eds. He thought it would be good if all the hatchets could be eventually buried. Also, there was the fact that a small part of him thought that Marie would be impressed if he got everyone to at least start talking. He was sure that Lee and May were just as lonely in jail as Marie was. What he wasn't sure about is why he began wanting to impress the bluenette…

His mistake, as it turned out, was simply letting go of his two friends when he reached the youth prison. Eddy immediately socked the 'sockhead' in the face, yelled at him about how much he didn't want to talk to Lee Kanker, and stormed off. Ed simply ran for his life, as he harbored more of a fear of the somewhat goofy May instead of a grudge.

He was immediately reminded of Eddy's irrational anger when Marie's face turned from pleasantly expectant to concerned when she got a good look at him. "What the hell happened to you, Double D? Your eye's blacker than your hat! Ya want me to yell for the medic?" she asked. Edd knew he was making steps forward in this growing friendship, as some of the Kankers' previous antics didn't exactly pay too much heed to their physical health…

"Sigh… Eddy happened. I wanted to surprise all three of you by bringing Ed and Eddy here to get them to actually talk things out with your sisters, like how we did. But Eddy… didn't take too kindly to my insistence. His stubbornness, I dare say, might be the death of him. I thought he would've learned that after that horrible incident with his brother." Edd explained, shaking his head.

"Oh, that guy… I remember us returning the favor for what he did. Lee decided to 'charge him some interest'. Heh…" Marie said with a smirk, her way of attempting to lighten the mood.

"Yes, well… It's rather unfortunate that your… uhh… generous favor must go unappreciated, at least for the time being. I sometimes fear that I give some people more chances than they deserve…" Edd lamented with a sigh. Marie frowned.

"It'll be fine, Oven Mitt. Don't kick yourself over crap that they did. If Eddy wants to stay away, then fine. I'm assuming that Big Ed's just shy?" Marie asked, more for clarification. May had been sorely missing her tall, dumb lump. But like Marie, her eyes were also opened to some facts of life. May was hoping to at least have a chance to apologize and try to tell him how she felt without getting overexcited.

"Indeed. He just ran off as soon as I let go of him. The poor oaf… Considering his demeanor and current intellect, I do worry about what might happen if his fear of May might fester into something bigger. After all, his sister, Sarah, doesn't particularly like him all that well…" Edd pondered.

"A general fear of girls?" Marie pointed out.

"Exactly." And it was then that a certain loud, harsh voice screamed out from somewhere outside the doorway of the Visitor's Room. And it was getting louder…

"…AND IF DOUBLE D WENT THROUGH ALL THIS TROUBLE TO GET YOU TO DO SOMETHING NICE, YOU DO IT! UNDERSTAND, YOU IDIOTS!?"

With that, two familiar figures crashed through the door of the Visitor's Room, having been tossed into it. It was a thoroughly thrashed Ed and Eddy. Stomping into the room was little Sarah, glaring at her hated brother and his greedy friend.

"NOW APOLOGIZE TO DOUBLE D AND TAKE YOUR SEATS, DAMMIT!" Sarah screamed at the two, heavily panting. A few seconds of everyone staring at her later, she immediately calmed down and turned to Edd. "Hi, Double D! I hear you're trying to help the Kankers. I gotta say, that's really nice of you. I thought I'd help you out…"

Double D was never sure about Sarah, as her moods changed at the drop of a dime. But in some instances, it would appear that her former crush on the young prodigy never really did go away. And it was something that Marie noticed in this instance.

"Uh, yes, well… Thank you, Sarah. I wish you weren't so rough on them, but I suppose some things never change in our little slice of Earth." Edd said, giving the little redhead a friendly smile.

Sarah grinned at him. "Glad to be of help! See ya later, Double D. HEY! GUARDS! DRAG OUT THE OTHER KANKERS TO THE VISITOR ROOM, WOULD YA?! AND DON'T LET THOSE EDS LEAVE!" she yelled as she left the room and headed out.

"So… The little firecracker's my competition, Double Dreamboat?" Marie playfully asked, giving him a wink, even though it looked more like a blink since one of her eyes was still hidden behind her ever-present bangs.

"Uh, no, not really. Sarah's too… temperamental for me…" Edd muttered, awkwardly fidgeting with his fingers. It wasn't like Sarah didn't have any good qualities, of course. But he had to admit that her infamous anger made her a bit of a wild card as even he felt her wrath a few times, despite her apparent preference of him.

"Are ya sure about that? Seems like she'd help you get more of a backbone." Marie teased, deciding to play with her favorite boy a little.

"Hah!" Eddy rudely cut in as Edd flustered. "Double D and Sarah? Yeah, right! Guaranteed, she'd punch his head off if he tried to kiss her and she's not in the mood, even if they were dating!"

"Oh, Eddy, don't badmouth sweet baby sister! She could still be here! Somewhere… like the Invisible Boogeywomen of Elron 7!" Ed panicked, grabbing Eddy by his head and shaking him.

"Can it, Lumpy! Jeez… We got bigger problems than that little twerp…" Eddy grumbled, turning his attention to a glaring Double D and a seemingly neutral Marie.

"So nice of you to finally join us, Eddy. Now, if you'll just take your seats, our healing process can begin. This rift between us can do no good for anyone in the long run. We must—"

"No good? You kidding me? We haven't been attacked, ambushed, shanghai'd, or even physically hurt since they got put in this can! To me, that's good!" Eddy snarled, getting in Edd's face. Marie glared at Eddy, really wishing the bulletproof barrier wasn't there so she could get the hardnosed shorty off of her only friend that wasn't a relative.

"No, Eddy, that's NOT good! Now sit down!" Edd snapped back, the stern way that he said it coming as a shock to Marie and even Ed.

'Maybe Oven Mitt's growin' a little backbone after all.' the bluenette thought. However, Eddy was unfazed by this.

"What're ya, delusional?! Or are ya finally the puppet of some blue-haired tramp? Really, who naturally has blue hair?!" Eddy growled.

It was then that Marie (and Ed) were surprised again as Edd grabbed Eddy by the front of his shirt, lifted him up, stood up, marched over to another cubicle, and slammed his ass onto the chair in a sitting position.

"Let me make myself perfectly clear, Eddy… Or shall I say… SKIPPER…!" Eddy flinched and shrieked in embarrassment at the use of his dreaded middle name. "Sure, the Kanker Sisters have been thorns in our sides ever since we first stumbled into the woods that fateful day. Yes, they've teased us, captured us, and… did things to us. Most of which were unwelcome at the time. But let me ask you something… How would you like it if you had to spend all of your teenage years locked up in a facility like this because of your con-artistry? At our current age, you should consider yourself quite lucky that none of our cul-de-sac friends have considered reporting you for your constant fraudulent activity, as it does strike up the possibility of you becoming a full-fledged criminal! If you don't think you deserve jail time for scamming our fellow youth, then the Kanker Sisters don't deserve jail time either! Now, there's a young girl who's been very lonely and in need of a familiar voice to comfort her. You will sit there, you will listen to her, and you will be nice! AM! I! UNDERSTOOD?!" By the time Edd finished his speech, he was right up in Eddy's face, poking his chest with a finger.

"…Yes, Sockhead… I mean, Double D!" Eddy gulped and turned himself around to face the bulletproof window, awaiting his redheaded nemesis. In the past, Edd had gotten upset a few times about a few schemes… but Eddy never seen a rage of this level. Not even the brief period of insanity Edd had that one day when he couldn't get a shower could top this.

Edd felt like he was about to hyperventilate as he sunk back down in his seat, Marie staring in silent awe. He fumbled with his phone. "I can't believe it… I… I snapped… I fully snapped… I…"

"There, there, Double D. You're ok. I think you did what was needed. That was… My God, that was amazing!" Marie said, in a soothing tone at first, but her excitement over how bold and steadfast Edd was had taken over. When she usually fantasized about life with her chosen boy, she didn't mind the idea of being the tough one in the relationship, but it was good to see him start to stand up for himself.

"…I think I'm gonna be sick…" Edd mumbled, trying to calm himself down.

"Well, first time's always the hardest, Double D." Marie chuckled. "By the way… Thank you."

That seemed to quickly divert Edd's frantic mind for a moment. "Um, for what, Marie?"

"For defending me, silly. You thought I didn't notice that you didn't snap until he called me a tramp? One might think that our visits are starting to be more than just about friendship." Marie grinned, waggling her eyebrows in a suggestive manner. Edd blushed and began hyperventilating. More than friendship? Surely, that wasn't it. He did admit to himself that Eddy calling her a woman of ill sexual repute struck a large nerve with him. But he couldn't have actual romantic feelings for her, right? She's a troubled girl that didn't need any more crap thrown at her and his integrity just wouldn't allow it. Yeah, that's it. Completely sound and logical explanation. There's no way that he had any sort of thoughts of THAT nature toward the pretty bluenette…. Wait… PRETTY?! Where'd that come from? This day was quickly turning into a confused mess.

While Marie silently let her good friend calm down and compose himself, she noticed the arrival of her sisters. Lee and May nodded to her and said quick hellos before sitting in front of their visitors (Ed had chosen to just sit down, not wanting to upset Double D). Naturally, Lee and Eddy started bickering immediately, mostly revolving between Lee's forcible seduction tactics and Eddy's obsession with cash and scams. But it didn't turn into a shouting match, thankfully. Just a ton of snide comments.

As for Ed and May, it was quite the opposite for a while. The two of them holding their phones to their ears, but not saying anything. The both of them appeared to struggle with working up the nerve to say something. Although, Ed's problem was mostly that he couldn't think of anything to say… He knew he should say something. But what was it again…? He forgot… But he knew it was important.

Finally, May stepped up. "Um, Ed…? I'm… really sorry. I never meant to scare you…" she said, quickly and succinctly with this pouty look of guilt on her face that reminded Ed of chickens… for some strange reason that only Ed knew. But nonetheless, it somehow translated to Ed, for the first time, thinking of May as adorable, instead of someone to fear.

"Aw, Ed says it's ok. Ed sorry to see you locked up in an intergalactic prison for space criminals. Hey, is General Zod in there?" Ed randomly asked, once again confusing things with comic book material. Whereas most would just respond with asking what Ed's problem is, May laughed instead.

"You're funny, Big Ed…" she said. With that, Ed started to tell her stories from his favorite comic books. And May, although new to the comic scene, listened intently and chimed in with her thoughts on it. It was a start, at least.

As Double D observed the two conversations while calming down, he figured that this was as good a start to the healing process as it was going to get, especially considering the bullheaded mentality of both Eddy and Lee. At the moment, the two stuck-up leaders were throwing random insults back and forth, apparently having run out of accusations.

"Well… We're all here, I guess." Marie stated, stuck hearing Lee's side of the bickering.

"I told him to be nice… But I suppose some grudges won't quit easily. At least Ed seems to have the right idea." Edd observed, his breathing finally down to a reasonable state.

"Yeah. And May's just letting him talk. I think you had the right idea, getting all of us together like this. If our resident giant egos over there can just calm the hell down, bet'cha anything we can all start again on the right foot. I mean, I bitched up a storm on your first visit, so I guess Lee has to vent too." Marie said with a smile. She'd never have accepted the concept of backing off and trying sincere friendship not even three months ago, but being tossed in prison and made to look back upon the reality of the situation tended to make plenty of people change their tunes. Especially when one's previous behavior proved to have left them virtually friendless and family-less…

Edd was moved by Marie's calm and positive view of his idea. "Why, Marie… You seem to be maturing right before my very eyes. I am quite proud of the progress you and I are making." he praised her, returning her smile with one of his own. A moment passed as the Brainiac and the Punk basked in each other's praise, flanked by the brash chaos of Eddy and Lee and the comic-book ramblings of Ed and May. Edd felt that a genuine friendship may have finally blossomed between the two, like a fine flower in the wild gardens of nature. Marie, on the other hand, thought about the potential for something more. But she learned her lesson now. This time, if it did happen, it'd be something real, something she didn't feel like she had to trap in order to obtain it. One step at a time, she supposed.

"Thanks, Double D. Visit again soon?" Marie simply asked, figuring that it wouldn't be long before the guards would've had enough of Lee's combative yammering.

"Well, it is a Saturday… Perhaps tomorrow?" Edd answered. Marie's eyes widened slightly.

"Wow, you want to spend a whole weekend with me? I guess I'm not the only one maturing here." she said with a certain playful tone that Edd actually chuckled to, now that he was used to the idea that they could simply joke around with each other.

"I suppose so, Marie. Besides, the more time I spend making progress, the sooner I might be able to prove to Mother and Father that what happened was a… misunderstanding…" he said, slightly hesitating when the thought of bending the truth was spoken aloud. Marie could tell he was still bothered by it. He'd always be the proverbial no-nonsense Urban Ranger when it came to honesty. But he was set on helping her despite what he would have to say.

"Well, perhaps if you showed a bit of that backbone that you showed Eddy, that might help ya convince them." Marie suggested with a snicker. Edd gasped in fright.

"Oh, heavens no! I'd never think of yelling at my parents! It's so… dishonorable!" he said, aghast at such an idea. At this, Marie snorted in laughter.

"Oh, Oven Mitt, I didn't mean that ya should yell their heads off! No, I meant that you should… I dunno… show some conviction. Stand up for what you believe in. Don't be a doormat, man! Doesn't mean ya have to go in screaming." Marie elaborated, still snickering at her favorite boy's horror at the idea of doing to his parents what he did to Eddy.

"Hm… I see what you mean… I think." Edd answered, a lot calmer. "Yeah… Be firm in my beliefs… I can do that."

Marie giggled again. "You can be so silly sometimes, Edd."

"Yes, well, I'm afraid it comes with the territory." Edd replied, a goofy smile on his face. Progress, indeed…

Meanwhile, next cubicle over…

"…and tell me again, who's parents got us locked up here, Short Stuff?!"

"Oh, for the thousandth time, I didn't rat ya out! Did anybody really expect my parents to come home early?!"

"Considering how many times your plots failed from something unexpected, I would've figured that you'd be expecting something like that to happen!"

"Wait, with that logic, why would I be expecting that? That actually helped me!"

"I dunno. Just want something to blame YOU for…"

"GRRR! Of all the… I don't see why Sockhead wants us to talk! All that's doing is making us want to kick each other's asses!"

"You sure about that? I'm annoyed and upset, but I'm actually kinda… having fun here." A small smirk from Lee.

"Ya are?"

"Yeah. I like that you're stubborn. Reminds me o' me." Her smirk tuned into a grin.

"That's a little self-centered, don'cha think?"

"This coming from the self-proclaimed King Of The Cul-De-Sac… Heh."

"…Got me there, I guess."

"Well… I suppose I'll let'cha have that title, considering how you finally defeated us."

"Really…? You'd actually call me that?"

"Sure. Whatever. On one condition, of course."

"Uh oh. Here it comes…" A roll of the eyes.

"All ya have to do… was admit that you got lucky."

"Wait, that's it? Nothing insane? No embarrassing stunts or anything?"

"Should I suggest something? I'm sure to think of something to put in this script that is our lives."

"NO, no! That's fine! We don't need some insane subplot that'll most likely end with me in severe pain! Um… Alright, alright. The only reason you're off our asses is because we got lucky."

"Well said, my liege." Lee chuckled.

"Anything else, Queenie?" Eddy sarcastically asked with a huff. Lee grinned again.

"Oooh, I like that… Keep calling me that, okay?"

"Wait… Dammit, this is another gag to get us hooked up, isn't it?!" Eddy was seeing red again already.

Lee grew smug. "Maybe it is, o dear King Of Our Cul-De-Sac."

"Bah! This burg's getting too small for us anyway… We'd all probably move away to bigger pastures anyway…" Eddy grumbled. As if he wanted anything to do with Lee Kanker…

"Oh, calm down, Eddy. I can't be queen of anything as long as I'm in here. Well, maybe I could be queen of this prison, but that'd involve messing with the crazier chicks in here… Seriously, some real loonies in here."

"Yeah, and I'm lookin' at one."

"Only the best loony for you!"

"Dammit, Lee!"

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:** And there's the second chapter. Man, I hope everyone enjoyed this wacky brainstorm of mine. So far, people enjoyed the original chapter, so here's praying that I don't immediately jump the shark! Lol.

The reason why the Eddy/Lee chat ending was mostly just dialogue with no action or description or anything is because they're literally just sitting there, arguing. Besides, I wanted to highlight some of their banter and see how people enjoyed my take on Lee and Eddy being stubborn with Lee being subtly flirty.

By the way, I'm not really sure if I can do a third chapter as quickly as I did this one. Hell, this is the quickest I've ever updated a story with a new chapter and this doesn't happen often, sadly… So I'll see where my creativity takes me. But in any case, please feel free to drop a review. Hell, feel free to throw me some ideas or suggestions if you'd like. Thanks for reading!


	3. Meet The Parents

Author's Note: Ok, I think I kinda let myself go here a little bit. I thought of a simple premise for this chapter and I seemed to just let the premise kinda go its own way. I know it might've seemed like a somewhat more dramatic chapter than a comedy chapter, but I believe I still kept the comedy vibe going. Perhaps I should think about having someone beta-read my work… Hopefully, I haven't jumped the shark yet. Knock on wood… Hey, Plank! Get back here so I can knock on you! I'll be gentle about it!

Also, for Edd's last name, I'm just going with the name that a few other fanfic writers have already gone with. So, Vincent it is.

Disclaimer: Nope. Still don't own anything.

Chapter 3: Meet The Parents

Eddward had slept in on this lovely Sunday morning, taking advantage of the fact that his weekend homework was dutifully finished (and already neatly sorted into his organized backpack for Monday). And so, at around 10 am, he finally lumbered down the stairs to have a healthy and nutritious breakfast, as per the usual routine. He had expected his mother and father to be around the house somewhere. Perhaps reading the morning paper or planning some sort of outing for the day. But alas, they seemed to be nowhere to be found.

Finding that to be quite peculiar for a Sunday morning, Eddward scanned the walls of the kitchen for any new sticky notes that may have been posted. 'Seen it… Seen that one… Oh, that one was weeks ago… Hey, how'd one of Eddy's prank notes not get disposed of yet? That happened so long ago, for Einstein's sake… Oh, here's a new one! Let's see…' he thought as he perused the notes until he found a fresh one on the fridge door.

His eyes bulged as he finished reading the note. "They're doing WHAT?! Oh no. Oh, no, no, no… I was hoping to perhaps arrange something like this later, but the fact that they're… Oh, my… I gotta get over there!" Edd rattled to himself as he dropped the note and scrambled to put his shoes on to leave. Clothes, check. Keys, check. Shoes, check. Everything in a neat and orderly fashion…? He took a quick glimpse around. Considering the situation, things seemed neat enough…

Bursting out of his door and then immediately shutting and locking it, he ran as fast as he could out of the cul-de-sac and in the direction of a building he was now quite familiar with… "Oh, why'd they decide to go do this… Visiting Marie themselves to judge her character and moral standing? For the love of everything that is science, PLEASE LET MARIE BE IN A GOOD MOOD!" he screamed to no one as he ran in a panic. Amidst his total of nine visits so far, Marie had recently mentioned to him that some of the other prisoners had been getting on the Kanker Sisters' cases as of late. Edd had mentally cursed the prison lifestyle's tendency to create a need for prisoners to establish a sense of superiority over their fellow prisoners, akin to some pack mentalities of animals.

Despite being a boy of science, he prayed to whatever overseeing writer of life may be out there that whoever was pushing the Kankers around had decided to back off for now. If he wanted his parents to help persuade the authorities to ease up the Kankers' sentence, Marie would now need to make a good impression…

Marie Kanker was having a rotten morning. The guards were just dragging off the latest bitch to try and pummel the bluenette for seemingly no reason, other than the typical machismo dominance bullshit that she wanted no part of. Naturally, it was the opponent that was far more injured than Marie by the time the guards separated the two. Kankers knew how to survive just about anything, after all. But that didn't mean the surprise attack didn't affect her attitude.

She was already quite aggravated when a couple more guards immediately informed her that she had visitors. Plural… And neither of which were her Double D or the other Eds, according to the guards. Somehow, that rubbed her the wrong way even more. Now people begin to visit, after a little more than two months in this dump… Only Double D cared about her enough to visit fairly often. Who're the sorry sacks of crap that wanted to finally see how she was doing? Nazz and Kevin? Sarah and Jimmy? Rolf and his goat, Victor? She felt like giving whoever came by a piece of her mind. Oh wait… What if it her family's deadbeat dads somehow heard about this and decided to check up on the Kankers? Oh, that's rich! The ones that ducked out of responsibility, coming back to probably tell HER to be a more responsible girl! Now she REALLY wanted to give whatever poor souls that dared to appear before her something they'd regret…

Storming into the Visitor's Room (with a slight limp from the fight), she laid eyes upon a pair of adults that occupied the only cubicle that wasn't empty. If she were calmer, she would've stopped to wonder who they were and what they possibly could've wanted. She would've also, after a minute, thought that they might've looked somehow familiar. However, she wasn't calm… Hell, she was escorted into the room by a guard and she had to wear handcuffs with her arms behind her back, since she technically did get into a fight. Who started it apparently didn't matter. The cuffs were on before she could wipe the blood from her lip and forehead, so she must've seen like quite a sight to these strangers. Their reaction certainly proved as much…

"Good Lord, young lady! What happened here?" the male asked, his polite and cultured tone of voice reminding her of Double D. But that fact didn't matter in the heat of her anger.

She shot the older man a deadly glare with the only eye that was visible. "Prison life happened, bub! News flash: fights happen! If you think I'm rough-lookin' now, ya should see the chick that jumped me while I was mindin' my own business… Now, two questions. Who the hell're you and whaddya want?!"

-Meanwhile—

Eddward hadn't been this out of breath in his life, not even during the rigors of P.E. class at school. But he had kept running. He had a bad feeling about how things might go. The chance of helping Marie (and the other Kankers), gone just like that… No, he mustn't dwell on that! He saw the youth prison. Finally, he was just about there! And it was then, at the euphoria of that realization, that he tripped over something and, like most of the shenanigans that happen in Peach Creek, ended up rolling and tumbling the rest of the way there, his body smacking against the main gate of the prison.

"Ow…" Edd groaned before he gingerly got up from the ground. Limping about as he recovered from his unfortunate accident, he hurried through the visitor's entrance and headed for the admission desk. Fortunately, one of the workers that came to know him as his visits became frequent was on duty.

"Hi, Eddward. Here to see young Marie again, I presume? Oh! That's right, your parents actually came in to see her today. They went in about 15 minutes ago." The pleasant middle-aged woman told him as she handed Edd the sign-in sheet.

"Oh, dear… Um, you wouldn't happen to know, uh… How is Marie today?" Edd asked, nervous as he signed and dated the proper spots on the sheet.

"Not good, unfortunately. Word is that one of the other prisoners had tried to ambush her again this morning, right before your parents showed up. I imagine she's none too pleasant today…" the worker replied with an apologetic look. Edd started to visibly sweat… a lot.

"Oh, no. It's just as I feared…! I'm sorry for cutting this short, ma'am, but if she's as upset as you say, then I have to stop her before she does something utterly foolish…!" Edd declared, rushing toward the Visitor's Room entrance, the guard that was posted there standing aside before the skinny boy could accidentally barrel into him. The clerk shook her head in amusement.

Voices… Edd was instantly bombarded with loud voices, no cubicle phones needed…

"I'LL YELL AT WHOEVER I WANNA YELL AT, DUDE! WHO THE HELL DO YA THINK YA ARE?!"

"YOU WILL CEASE YOUR BARBARIC RAVINGS AT ONCE, YOUNG LADY!" Edd's father snapped back, his face a crimson red.

"OR ELSE WHAT?! ALL I WAS ASKING WAS FOR AN EXPLANATION! YEAH, I HAD A SHIT MORNING, SO WHAT?!"

"YOUR UNCOUTH USE OF THE ENGLISH VOCABULARY WAS UNCALLED FOR! IT MATTERS NOT IF YOU GOT IN A LOW-CLASS MELEE WITH A FELLOW RUFFIAN!" Edd's mother took a turn at yelling this time, wagging a finger in a scolding manner for added effect. No wonder Edd was fond of having an extensive vocabulary when speaking to his peers in the cul-de-sac.

"RUFFIAN?! OH, WHAT ARE YOU TWO, SOME ONE-PERCENTER SNOBS?! HOW ABOUT YA CALL BILL GATES AND ASK HIM TO BUY YA ANOTHER SUMMER HOME, WHY DON'CHA?!"

"MOTHER! FATHER! MARIE! EVERYONE, PLEASE STOOOOOP!" Edd bellowed out loud, having had enough of seeing the worst case scenario play out before his very eyes. Everyone froze and turned their attention to the terrified young man at the entranceway, his hands having reflexively gripped the edges of his sock-like hat as if ready to yank it down over his face in embarrassment for his outburst.

Marie suddenly felt like ice was poured into her bloodstream as the realization of who she intentionally provoked ran through her brain like a locomotive. 'Mother? Father? These are… I was… I YELLED AT OVEN MITT'S PARENTS?!' her mind shrieked. Her face paled considerably as she envisioned the warden telling her that she 'mysteriously' earned herself a life sentence… Some parents did have some pull around here. At least, that's what Eddy's parents had proved… (Although, that could've been just because Eddy's family was just loud enough to annoy people into doing what they want. But who among the cul-de-sac kids could tell? They practically just became teenagers!)

"Eddward? What are you doing here?" Edd's father asked, breaking the tense silence.

"Uh, yes, well… I had awoken this morning to discover your sticky note about you two wanting to see what brings me here so much. While I do appreciate your parental concern about my visits with Marie and what I have previously discussed with you about the situation, I had calculated that at some point down the line… I figure perhaps another month, at most… I would've arranged for all of us to sit with Marie so you two could properly get to know her and assess my argument that what she and her sisters were caught for was simply a misunderstanding, perpetuated by the ever-so-aggressive bleating of Eddy's parents. Alas, here we are, it seems…" Edd promptly explained. He seemed as calm and calculated as he gave his observations, but on the inside, he was still a frazzled mess, worried about what his parents might already think of the bluenette he was now finally used to calling a friend.

"Given what we've heard here, I've no reason why I should side with the Kanker family at all, Eddward. As it stands, this one's wretched behavior proves their name to be quite suitable, as your father and I are left quite… sore." his mother retorted. "Get it, dear? Kanker sore?"

Her husband chuckled. "Quite right, honey."

At this, Marie's head drooped, for once not having a quip or a comeback or anything to say. She blew it. The only chance for her sisters and herself to have their sentences possibly shortened and she unwittingly pissed it away. All because of her letting her anger get the best of her. Lee and May were probably going to be just as likely to try and kick her ass as the next uppity prisoner, once they find out…

But her head rose up just as quick at the sound of her Oven Mitt's voice. "But don't you see, Mother, Father? This juvenile facility isn't good for her! Or her sisters, for that matter. The clerk informed me that she had been attacked just before being summoned here. For Einstein's sake, she's still bleeding! Surely, you can concede that plenty of prisoners would be rightly upset if they were accosted by some hooligan when they're just simply minding their own business and serving their sentence. Right?" There he was, in her corner once again. The irony of the situation wasn't lost on her at all. Her crush and former victim, now the only beacon of light in a sea of darkness. Damn, did she hate sappy analogies... even if they worked. Although, it did give her an idea for something to draw, if she could ever get her hands on a sketchbook in this dump…

Edd's father looked thoughtful. "Well… I suppose I can factor that into the equation. A punch to the face would surely be a fair cause for grievance… But I dare say that this Marie could stand to learn some self-control. There are better outlets for one's frustrations than simply using the next person you come into contact with."

Marie sighed. "I suppose you got me there, sir… I'm… sorry 'bout the yellin'…" she said, looking the parents square in the eyes. She wouldn't completely suck up or try to butter them up by looking guilty. If she was going to get anywhere after blowing up like that, she figured it'd be best to just own up to it and try to move on. Maybe the second impression will be better, even if everyone tends to remember the first impressions of most people and things. She could already hear the future jeers in her head about it. Oh, hey, remember when we met Eddward's lovely wife, Marie? Oh yes, she nearly tore our heads off! And cue conversational laughter and end imagination scene.

"It's a start, I suppose. Well… I suppose now is as good a time as any for your idea of having us all meet, Eddward. Come sit down. Let's discuss, shall we?" Edd's father insisted while his wife looked at Marie, almost like the way an artist would critically judge a potential model for an important portrait. The bluenette was nearly intimidated by the older woman's intense, analytical stare. Double D's preference for all things brainy seemed to really run in the family, Marie deduced. For a brief moment, it made her wonder if her own kids would end up soaking up knowledge like little sponges if she ended up with him. Not that she'd ever hit the books as much as her Oven Mitt would, of course… She enjoyed seeing him apply his knowledge to many things, such as his many inventions. The prattling about random facts and figures that barely interested anybody, however, she could do without… Well, maybe if they got along well enough to where he'd only do that kind of prattling to her about the things she's interested in, she could live with that.

As soon as Double D had taken a seat, the family of three seemingly cramped around the cubicle, Edd's father started the conversation. "Let's begin. Now, Ms. Kanker, from what we've already established from the details of your case that we were privy to, you have had quite a history of bothering our son for reasons that we find appalling for someone your age. However, Eddward seems to believe that your incarceration was in error. Would you care to explain your side of the story?"

Marie felt like she was back in the courtroom, but this time, there weren't two human megaphones breathing down the judge and jury's necks. Three, if one counted anything Eddy managed to chime in with, which surprisingly was very little as his parents were even louder than he was.

"Well, there's no use hiding it, I guess. Yeah, I chased after your son. Looking back on it, I admit how I went about it wasn't exactly the best way… It wasn't like we had a lot of real knowledge about what love was, other than what our mama and our different biological fathers demonstrated for us. Basically, we thought that we had to corner our boys so they wouldn't dare run away from us at the first sign of things going rough… So, yeah… Now I know my folks were just messed up. Not that they matter anymore, since our ma decided to just leave us here, just one visit to tell us that we're 'done' and nothing more. But that part's off-topic…" Marie trailed off, thinking of how to continue.

"Ah, classic evidence of how the surrounding environment can nurture one's growth, either positively or negatively. Yes, indeed… I do feel sympathetic to how you were raised, Ms. Kanker." Edd's mother interjected as if taking observational notes on an experiment in progress.

"Ah, please spare me the 'Ms.' thing, Mrs. Vincent… Makes me feel like I'm my ma… " Marie grumbled as she remembered the scolding the sisters got. She never thought that the secret agent rule of 'if you are captured, we will disavow any knowledge of your existence' would apply to the concept of family. Then again, most families weren't consisting of one woman and three different deadbeat fathers…

"Oh. Sorry, Marie." the observant mother politely replied, despite still having misgivings about the blue-haired teen convict.

"Where was I? Oh yeah, so being here gave me time to think… At first, I was mad. Very mad. Double D found that out the hard way when he first visited me. I cussed up a storm that day… Um, sorry again, Double D. After I pretty much scared him off, or so I thought, a week had passed and I began to realize that nobody was coming to visit. None of the other cul-de-sac kids came, not even to ask how we were doing… It made me realize that we probably could've been better kids around the others. But hey, live and learn, right? But then, after another week, Double D came back. I didn't think he would… but there he was. I still remember seeing his knees tremble as he walked over and sat down... And so we talked, for a little bit."

"About what?" Edd's father asked. Marie told them how Double D's visits went, about how he grew comfortable around her, about how he even tried with a little success to get his fellow Eds to actually try talking to the other Kankers, until she came to the latest visit. The tale, including her quip-filled insight on certain moments, took about seven minutes to tell. The two parents had listened patiently, the mother again looking like she was sorely missing a notepad to gather data on this experiment called Marie…

"….which brings us to now, I guess. I was kinda hoping that Ov—I mean Double D would come visit today to help calm me down, but looks like I got more than I bargained for." Marie finished with a shrug.

"Dear, are we sure our Eddward isn't developing a form of Stockholm Syndrome?" Edd's mother asked quietly, even though both teens could easily hear her.

"Even though she's now the captive? Hmm… Well, she has been bothering Eddward for quite some time. Perhaps enough time for some sort of effect to happen. Perhaps in some way, he's come to miss being chased as it had become such an often, routine occurrence." his father theorized aloud, a stern eye on the now-nervous Marie.

"Now, that's just ridiculous, Father. Why would I miss being ruthlessly chased around town? You know I don't get along with the concept of exercise…" Edd awkwardly pointed out. "I just think the Kankers need a second chance. Uhh… I've heard a few teachers at school mention about how they did foolish things in their youth. Does that apply to everyone? Most people? This could be the Kankers' 'foolish thing' that they could look back upon and snicker about when we've all matured into adulthood. Nobody got seriously hurt in the long run…"

Edd's father sighed. "We'll see, son. Now…" he turned back to Marie. "Do you have any goals? Interests? Motivations for a future? It would hardly seem fair of us to ease the burden of someone that would turn out to be a lazy bum."

Marie gulped. Naturally, the Kanker Sisters didn't think too much upon the future, other than their fantasies about the Eds and the idea of graduating from school. "Uhh… I like to draw… Don't really do it much, though. Sisters kept makin' fun o' my work… I've kinda gotten into tinkering with things, mostly because of watching what Double D can whip up using whatever scrap parts are floating around this town. He's an inspiration, I tell ya. Haven't really built anything of my own yet. I fixed the trailer's A/C a couple of times. At least, I think I did it well enough… Damn thing still tends to sputter like an old car engine. Anyways, um… that's kinda it, I think."

The parents looked at each other, as if having a silent conversation, then they looked back at her. Edd's mother spoke. "I suppose it's a start. Not everyone feels the calling of more noble goals like a doctor or a scientist, after all. Even so, your 'tinkering' could lead to something enterprising, should you pursue it. The world could use more engineers and mechanics to keep its wheels turning, so to speak."

"Does that mean you'll help?" Edd asked hopefully, beginning to wonder how much more questioning must be needed.

"We haven't decided yet, Eddward. Hmm… Marie, if we were to successfully persuade them to ease your sentence, what guarantee can you give us that you lot won't regress back to your deviant nature?" Edd's father asked.

"Guarantee? I mean, sure, I won't get rough with Double D. I've come to like just talkin' with him. He's a lot more communicative when he's not running for his life." she joked, trying to ease the tension of the situation.

Edd chuckled at her choice of words, but his parents didn't even crack a smirk.

"Sometimes words are just that, Marie. Words. What guarantee can you give us?" Edd's father asked again.

"What? Like… do you want me to stay away from him if I'm let out?" Marie asked, now a little confused.

"That would be the prudent thing to do, yes." Edd's mother replied. "By avoiding any and all contact, it should provide adequate comfort for us as parents and perhaps even yourself that you won't get into any more sexual deviancy."

"What…?" Marie asked, completely unimpressed. "Are you saying that you don't trust your own son's judgment? That I somehow seduced him here to try and get some way to help me out?"

"Even though he is our dear prodigy, he is still merely a young boy. I've heard of a few genius minds that were thwarted by cunning, deceit, and even lust. If we help, there's not much of a way we can be fully assured that no harm will come of this." Edd's father explained, crossing his arms.

"Hmm… Perhaps there is a way, Mother, Father…" Edd said in response. As calm as he seemed to be when he spoke up, he was actually desperate for any sort of plan or idea that could salvage any possibility of helping Marie. He never thought he would suggest what he was about to say. He wasn't sure if this could even be possibly, legally speaking. However, it was worth a try…

"As you recall, the Kankers' sole parental guardian has foolishly decided to abandon her kids to their fates. If they were to get out, either sooner or later, I'm not so sure if they'd be welcomed back into the trailer or not. I gather the impression that Mrs. Kanker must be an incredibly stubborn person once she sets her mind to something… So, if they were to get out, they would require a place to stay… I admit I haven't fully thought this out yet so I'm not sure what to do about Lee or May, but… what if we were to… I don't know… adopt… Marie…?" If the cul-de-sac were to have heard him suggest that a few months ago, everyone would've instantly have stopped what they were doing and looked at him with jaws dropped (accompanied by a loud scratching of a record coming from… somewhere… Probably Eddy's room.).

As it was, the three stared at Double D, Marie looking the most shocked. Her eyes were so wide that, if Edd looked closely, he could see a little bit of the hidden one emerging from behind her bangs.

"You… want us to adopt this… this girl?" Edd's mother asked, almost calling Marie something inappropriate.

"You're absolutely sure of her innocence, aren't you…?" his father asked, not expecting his son to suggest harboring a delinquent. Then again, there were those rumors from the other parents about what the young prodigy could've been an accomplice to… Something about the little loudmouthed Eddy and repeated attempts at conning other kids out of money?

"You want me as your sister, Double D…?" Marie asked, still in shock. Her mind then wondered if it'd mean trouble for her plan to slowly make an actual relationship with him happen…

"Well, I certainly wasn't expecting to even pitch the idea, but I really wasn't sure what else to do in the heat of the moment. You can understand how Mother and Father may not be very trusting, considering what happened… I suppose as long as it helps." Edd answered, not really sure how to feel. On one hand, if a juvenile prison allowed such an option to be viable, straight-up adoption could eliminate the sentence entirely and give her new parental guardians to keep an eye on her. On the other hand… he wasn't sure how to feel about Marie being his sister, even though it wouldn't be by blood. It wasn't like he wouldn't welcome her into his house, what with their friendship being fairly stable now… Of course he'd welcome her in now. But he just felt… He didn't know how to feel. And the fact that he didn't know something bothered him…

Once again, Marie was touched by Double D's actions. She expected him to try to convince them, but she didn't think that he wouldn't tolerate failure. "Boy, aren't you kinky!" she quipped, again making light of the situation. Realizing what she was playing at, Double D blushed and pulled his hat down over his eyes.

"Marie! Not the time for jokes about your relationship fantasies…" Edd grumbled.

"Sorry. Couldn't resist…" Marie said, an apologetic grin displaying her trademark discolored teeth.

"Alright, alright, alright…! I understand. Look, we'll… consider it, ok?" Edd's father responded. If Eddward was so determined that these girls deserved a second chance to get their lives on the right track, then maybe it wouldn't hurt. But Mr. Vincent made a mental note that if the trio of young women stepped out of line again, there would be repercussions...

"We just want you to be safe, dear Eddward." Edd's mother chimed in, giving her son a loving hug. Marie had to snicker as Edd began struggling for air in his mother's apparently tight grip.

"Mother…. Air…!" he gasped before his mother finally released him with a polite apology.

"This has been… illuminating, but I think we best be off. We got a good day ahead of us and you've both given us plenty to think about." Edd's father spoke, standing up from his seat. Despite the stern interview, he appeared to have quickly shifted to a more upbeat mood. "Eddward, are you coming with us or are you going to find your own way home?"

"Uh, I think I'll stay a moment, thank you. Wait… When you said you'd consider 'it', which idea? Getting their sentence reduced or adoption?" Edd asked, realizing that his father wasn't specific, a rarity for him.

"That'll be decided later, son." his father answered, clapping the boy on the back with a free hand. He had to chuckle to himself at the confused look on the boy's face. He knew Eddward was a good kid. Not many people would care so much for an enemy of theirs if said enemy was in some sort of trouble. Maybe it was just a misunderstanding…

"But I… uh… Wha?" While Edd was stammering, his parents said their farewells, as polite as to be expected from anyone related to Double D, and made their way out. Just like that. "That's… never happened before…"

"What hasn't, Oven Mitt?" Marie asked, curious about both the parents' behavior and Double D's comment.

"They've never avoided answering questions I've had… Any inquiry I'd make, there'd always be a prompt response, either in person or via sticky note… Oh, is this their way of playing with me? Or maybe demonstrating some sort of parental tactic?! I wouldn't be surprised if it was! When Eddy's parents shook up the neighborhood with having the police arrest you three, it did interrupt the lives of my parents as well as Ed and Sarah's, if only but for a court attendance, as we three Eds were very key roles as victims in the case and needed to appear. And then, they came here on their own accord and unfortunately caught you at a rough time… I can't blame them for—"

"Oven Mitt, calm down! Just… Wow, I can see where you get your quirks from, that's for sure. Heh… Don't worry about a thing, Double D. If they can sweet talk the cops into shortening our stay here, then cool. If I become your adopted sister, then that's good. Hey, I'll be out! And if they won't do either, then that sucks, but at least my tantrum earlier didn't completely ruin everything. I'll just be glad that you tried to help." Marie said, her rarely-seen genuine smile appearing. Somehow, the small trails of drying blood that came down her face from the little wound on her forehead didn't take anything away from that smile, at least in Edd's opinion.

Edd thought about her words for a moment, his frazzled mind already calming down. "Yes… You certainly handled yourself pretty well, considering. Hopefully, they'll tell me what they have decided upon soon. I only wish they would have allowed me to set up this meeting on my terms…"

"Yeah, well, I'm sure that if we were parents, there's a chance I'd make my way down here to see what my kid's troublemaker of an alleged friend I've never met in person is like too. Although, it'd most likely be more out of curiosity than concern. Kankers' gotta respect fellow mischief makers, after all. Except if it's big stuff like murder or hardcore drugs, naturally. Even we got standards. Heh…" Marie mused aloud, snickering at the thought of her being a mother.

Edd gulped, although it was merely a reflex action when it comes to Marie talking about anything that sounded too much like 'the old Marie'. Hypothetical situation involving the two of them as parents? That counted. Curse his trained habits of old... "I get what you mean, Marie. So, uh… Would you like to have ourselves a conversation or are we all talked out for today?" he asked, trying to sound back to his usual chipper self.

"As much as I enjoy your company, Double Dreamboat, I suppose I'd better get this cut on my forehead looked at as well as cleaned up. I doubt you enjoy seeing blood on me." Marie chuckled. "Not to mention, these cuffs are starting to chafe a little…"

"Of course, I don't enjoy that. But excellent point. You certainly don't want any bacteria getting into an open wound, especially in a place like this. I feel a little green already just worrying about what infections could come from letting that go unchecked." Edd remarked, his usual melodrama about sanitization kicking in once again. Marie smirked at him. It wouldn't be a day with Double D without him worrying about something. She was happy that it was her wellbeing that he was worrying about this time. It helped make her feel wanted. A rare luxury of a feeling, as things with the Kankers currently stood…

"Aww, you're cute when you're worrying about me, Oven Mitt." Marie said, fluttering her eyelids in a playful attempt to be mock-flirty.

"Gulp…"

"Please stop gulping…"

"I'm sorry, Marie… It's become a natural reflex when you get… amorous… Considering our established friendship, I hope to crack it soon."

"I got plenty of time for ya to do that, Double D. I'll still be here." she replied with a smile. 'Not for long.' both of them thought in unison.

-Meanwhile-

The girl that had ambushed Marie Kanker and lost was just thrown into Solitary Confinement for the incident, after having been patched up in the Infirmary. She limped around the little, dimly-lit cell, grumbling to herself about that 'blue-haired bitch'. She was already planning her next attempt, determined to show her so-called rival who the real dominant chick was in this prison.

Her mutterings were interrupted by the feeling of a presence… Someone was in the cell with her. But wasn't this Solitary?

"Hello? Is someone there?" she asked.

No response. At least, not one that was spoken aloud. She noticed something in the corner of the cell. Would it kill them to actually have the light in here be a little brighter? Seriously! But she saw someone there. A small someone…

"What are you?" she asked.

An answer, it seemed, was given.

"A friend? How would you know if I wanted a friend?"

A moment of time passed.

"Connections, huh? Every prison's got those, I guess. So what's your name?"

Her company felt confident again. Finally, a companion in this crazy dump!

"What kind of name is Plank?"

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:** And that's that for now! So yeah, I kinda threw out the possible idea of Marie being adopted by Double D's parents, making the idea of Edd/Marie somewhat strange. At least, perhaps in a social sense? "Hi, I'm Double D and I'm falling for my adopted sister who used to be an aggressive bully of mine! Uh, no, she's adopted, so we're not biologically related… Whaddya mean it's still gross?!" Haha… Obviously, I'm probably not gonna go that way. I mainly thought of that as something Double D figuratively pulled out of his ass in desperation, sensing the conversation going south.

Speaking of which, did I do alright with the idea of Edd's parents, both also being of a cultured and genius nature, practically interrogating Marie? I mean, general assumption would be that they would kinda clash, what with how different their mindsets are and all… Wasn't trying to portray any disdain as them being snobby, but as being concerned upstanding parents who are no-nonsense towards anything criminal. I say once again, perhaps I should get someone to look over my work and give me a second opinion if I ever let my ideas get away from me…

Next chapter, I'm thinking of getting back to the Edd/Marie bonding and some comedy. Don't forget to leave a review! Thanks for reading!


	4. Prison Blues

Disclaimer: Take a guess.

Chapter 4: Prison Blues

"I can't take it no more, Marie… I need to get outta here!" Lee Kanker complained as she lifted weights on the weight bench in the exercise yard. It was one of the few pastimes she partook after getting used to living in the juvenile facility. As bull-headed as she was, she wouldn't do anything to jeopardize any chance of leaving with good behavior. Even so, that didn't mean she wouldn't complain about it. A lot… Marie rolled her eyes as she spotted her redheaded sister.

"You said that like a hundred and seventy-five times now, Lee. As long as we keep to ourselves, we'll be fine." Marie grumbled, knowing that her reassurance would fall on deaf ears yet again.

"Sure, whatever. Bah… Too bad your sockhead couldn't do anything for ya after all." Lee jabbed, grunting as she lifted the heavy dumbbell up. Marie glanced at the progress of Lee's arms, which were starting to get some muscle, and wondered how long it would be before Lee became one of those bodybuilder chicks…

"Don't you start on my Oven Mitt, Lee! It's not his fault his parents don't exactly trust me yet." Marie snapped, placing her hands on the dumbbell and pushing down so that Lee would have a harder time holding it up. The redhead groaned and growled in protest.

"Yeah, and… rrgh… who's fault is… aaagh… that?!" Lee barely got out, struggling. Marie backed off as she remembered that ill-fated day.

"It's mine, Lee… Don't blame him, okay…?" Marie muttered. When Double D had visited a week after his parents decided to do a surprise interview, he had informed her that his parents decided not to do anything about the Kankers as of yet. Apparently, she still had "a lot to prove" or some such thing his father had told him to tell her. Knowing that her temper had gotten the best of her, she didn't take it well. And so, she calmed down…

Indeed, a couple of the other aggressive prisoners still tried to attack her now and again. And she still kicked their asses. But she wouldn't let their hurtful intentions rile her up. Instead, Marie would just sulk as the guards led her back to her cell. The only time she'd cheer up was when Double D came to visit. Currently, it's been four months since the Kanker's were arrested and thrown into the juvenile facility. Double D had now visited about twenty-five times, his visits increasing in frequency in the last month. She had a feeling that he had noticed her dismal attitude despite the fake smile she'd put on for him. Ok, the smile wasn't fake. She'd always be glad to see her Double Dreamboat… but she'd make it seem like things were more alright than they actually were. But one thing about being in regular contact with a genius is that they may be very perceptive of things, even if they're too awkward to express some things aloud. Leave it to Double D to possibly catch on that she's down in the dumps…

"Yo, Marie!" Lee's brash voice shook her out of her thoughts and the bluenette discovered that Lee had set the dumbbell on its stand and stood up to check on the zoned-out Marie. The blue-haired Kanker stumbled back a couple of steps when she realized how close Lee was.

"Agh! What, Lee?!"

"You ok, Marie? I threw five insults at 'cha and ya didn't even blink. Is that thing with Sockhead's parents really still botherin' ya?" This was one of those times where Lee put aside her ever-present rudeness and showed genuine concern. She loved her sisters, after all.

"N…. Yeah. I let you guys down. And I let my Oven Mitt down. He went out of his way to visit me and help me not feel so alone. He even tried to help put in a good word to get our sentences cut and what do I do?" Marie groused, finding her feet to be interesting viewing at the moment as she sulked. Her head was then forced to look into Lee's…. hair (as her eyes were still hidden behind her bushy bangs).

"Knock that crap off, Marie. Yeah, May an' I were upset at 'cha but we got over it. You should too. Double D's still keeping you company, right? And I'm sure he's still pestering his folks to change their minds. Uh, as politely as one like him could pester someone, of course. I can't imagine him being as persistently overbearing as Short Stuff. Heh…" Lee chuckled at her own joke. Marie sighed.

"I guess you're right… It just haunts me. But, I'll try to snap outta it. I get the feelin' I've been makin' Double D worry anyway. I'm not sure, but he's been acting a little too concerned about my mental health…" she said, frowning as her sister let her head go.

"He smells blood in the water, Marie. Best thing to do is to come clean. Based on how he's been behavin' toward us since we got put in here, I'm sure he'll listen. Would probably go against some sort of code of his anyways if he didn't. Still, wouldn't be smart to shove him away because ya can't admit that ya were mopey." Lee advised before getting her sister in a hold and giving her an old-school noogie.

"Ah! LEE! Knock it off! Alright, I'll talk with him! Jeez!" Marie complained as she struggled to get out of her bossy sister's grip.

Just then, Lee noticed something that made her stop and loosen her grip. Marie managed to yank her head out of Lee's grip just in time to see the odd sight as well. It was May, slowly walking backwards… wearing one of the prison's shower towels and nothing else.

"Th' hell? May?" Lee asked, her head tilted in confusion.

"Ok, even for this joint, this is odd. May? Hey, May! What's the deal, sis?" Marie asked, approaching the goofy blonde. Marie noticed as she got to her that May had a frightened look on her face. "May? What's wrong? We're here, May. You're safe. Did something happen? Someone do something?" Marie's concern for her sister overrode her own issues for the time being.

"Uh… In the shower… I… uh…" May sputtered quietly, as if nervous that her own voice would bring down some sort of wrath.

"You what? Ya accidentally trip somebody? Don't worry. We Kankers stick together, remember?" Lee reassured her, deciding to hold May still so that she'd stop with the backwards walking.

"I… I… um…. I dropped the soap…" May confessed.

"WHAT?!" screamed both Kankers as they began feeling a sudden cross between panic and rage. Who dared touch their sister like that!?

"Yeah, I… was takin' a shower and thinking about nice things to do with Big Ed and…" May trailed off, not wanting to continue.

"Who, May? Who did this to you?!" Lee asked, her grip on May tightening.

"Huh…? No one did anything, Lee… I dropped the soap. The thing just slipped outta my grasp. Then, I froze because I heard that something really bad happens when you drop a bar of soap in a prison shower… Like, bad luck or something. I just… carefully made my way to a towel and then… uh… kept backing up. So far, no bad luck, so I must be being careful enough." May finally explained. Marie and Lee's eyes bugged out, Lee loosening her grip on May.

"You had us both frightened shitless… over a bar of soap?!" Lee snapped, glaring at the ditzy blonde.

"May, do you even know what dropping the soap actually means?" Marie asked pointedly. May shook her head. The bluenette facepalmed and then leaned in toward May's ear and whispered what exactly the slang term means.

"Wha…? WHAT?! That's what that means?! That kinda thing happens HERE?! Oh NO WAY! I'm only doing THAT with Big Ed!" May declared as she ran back to the showers to put on her prison uniform, frightened that some pent-up inmate would actually do such a thing.

"Great, Marie… Now she's gonna eventually smell like her big lump! Most likely, she won't wanna go to the showers anymore. Way to go!" Lee scolded at Marie, giving her a shove.

Marie shoved back. "Yeah, well, she needed to learn! C'mon, she was scared stiff because she actually dropped some damn soap! Ya want her to freak out every time she does that? For a minute, I thought someone had actually…!" she trailed off, not even wanting to say what could've happened to the flighty blonde.

"Ugh… I know, Marie. Look, I'll talk with her about being careful in the showers. Now get back to spottin' me." Lee calmly ordered as she went back to her weight bench. The bluenette huffed and followed after her. This prison was starting to get to all three Kankers, it seemed. At least Lee still seemed like she was in control. If only something good would happen…

Later that same day, Eddward checked himself in at the visitor's entrance, now very familiar with the sign-in process. It took a little longer today since he had decided to bring Marie a present and, as much as the desk clerk knew that he was a kind young boy, protocol was protocol and all packages must be inspected. After all, who knows who'd smuggle in some sort of weapon or a method of escape these days… But Double D was confident there was nothing wrong with his chosen gift for her. He hoped that her cell would at least be adequate enough for his gift to not become stolen by an inmate or something.

A part of him still wasn't sure why he felt the need to bring her a gift. He had decided to visit her more often when he had gotten the feeling that she seemed somewhat… off. The girl made quite an effort to gussy up her prison life to be as fair as prison could be, but he could tell she was bothered by something. He figured it must have had something to do with when he informed her that his parents had decided against helping out, at least for the time being. On one hand, as parental figures, they could hardly be blamed for preferring to keep an "aggressive individual" (their words, not Edd's) somewhere where they wouldn't hurt their son. And Eddward respected their authority, as per his nature. But on the other hand, Double D was annoyed that they chose to keep the Sisters in a place he was more and more convinced they didn't belong. When his parents had refused his request, he had felt like he had failed Marie. No, the Kankers. He meant all three of the Kankers.

The least he could do, he figured, was bring Marie something that might uplift her spirits. She wasn't well, he was sure of it. And as a concerned friend (and nothing more, he stubbornly reassured his own brain), he was going to help her somehow. If he couldn't help reduce her sentence, he could at least cheer her up.

The clerk told him that his present was acceptable and that a guard on the inmates' side of the Visitors' Room will present Marie with the package during their meeting. Edd was then shown into the familiar room. He sat at his usual cubicle and awaited his, as she sometimes described herself, 'prison bitch'. Oh, how he wished she would stop poking fun at herself like that… She's already improved so much as a person, in his view.

He smiled as he saw her enter the room, but his smile lessened as he noticed that she looked somewhat forlorn. Perhaps her 'Everything's Fine' act is over? She approached and took her seat. They picked up their phones.

"Hello, Marie. How are you holding up?" Edd asked, polite as always.

"I'm… ugh… Not good, Double D. Things aren't fine… I should probably fess up. I haven't been fine for a little while now…" Marie said, heaving a sigh afterward as she looked upon her crush, free as a bird on the other side of that bulletproof glass.

"Ah. Well, to be quite honest, I've had a suspicion that something wasn't quite right with you over the past month. Frankly, it's been troubling me… I can't quite figure out what the source of your troubles might be, unless it's something to do with what my parents decided." Edd answered, letting loose a little sigh of his own.

"I knew you'd catch on… Of course you would, you brainiac… Yeah, it's your folks. I can't help but feel like I've let everyone down. My sisters, you, even my ma… I let somebody piss me off and I end up throwing away any chance of an earlier release. How else am I supposed to feel? I've… been forcing myself to keep a cool head, despite a few more attacks. Bottling my anger up… I know that's not good for me, but… I dunno, Double D… I don't want to end up doing another stupid thing…" Marie said, letting her head slump down until her chin hit the counter of the cubicle.

"I see. You feel like you can't be your regular self in case another solution to your imprisonment decides to come forth to be utilized." Double D stated, playing the role of her own personal shrink. He sighed. "I wish you would have told me this sooner. But it's good that you said something. I may not be able to help you much more than bringing the topic up to my parents on occasion to see if they change their mind, but I have brought you a present in an attempt to cheer you up."

Marie lifted her head back up. "A present? You bought me a present? Oh, Muffin… You didn't have to, really." She couldn't keep a little smile from breaking out. Once again, she felt gratitude that the boy she used to torment with a warped belief of what love was actually grew to care enough to do something so nice for her. A guard came into her side of the room and gave her the box that Edd had brought for her.

"Oh, nonsense, Marie. You don't deserve to wallow in misery all the time. I do hope this gift helps boost not only your spirits, but your creativity as well." Edd told her with a smile as Marie went to work at opening the box. Inside was a brand new sketchbook, custom designed with a skull-and-crossbones logo and the name "Kanker" on top of it, a blatant reference to the time the Kankers played pirates to hijack the Eds' Creek Cruise scam. Also included were some drawing pencils. As this was a prison without anywhere adequate for inmates to store stuff, he couldn't get her anything more elaborate for drawing instruments, but he calculated that what he gave her would be proper enough for some black-n-white drawings.

"Oh my God, Double Dreamboat… This is… I… Thank you! This is even better than the old one I had kickin' around in the trailer. I… dunno what else to say… Just… Thanks!" Marie said, her full-blown genuine smile practically radiant amongst her joyous reaction. Double D hadn't seen her this excited about anything since the infamous final time that she had him cornered. He felt some sort of pride that he was able to illicit such a reaction out of her from something he did for her, even though he still had not much of a clue as to why he felt that way. She's just a friend. Right…?

"You're quite welcome, Marie. Some studies indicate that focusing on one's personal interests or hobbies can help keep one stable during times of limited freedoms or intense boredom. It's the least I can do, considering how I failed you… Curse the concept of parental authority for the sake of child protection…" Edd muttered the last part to himself, even though Marie heard him clearly. The bluenette tsk'ed in response.

"Now cut that out, Double D! I'm the one who failed. Not you. I've told you to stop kicking yourself at least fifty times by now, you and your nonstop apologies… You've done a lot more for me than even my own mother! So take my thanks, appreciate my thanks, and stop kicking yourself before I make you wear your hat as underwear and then give ya a wedgie. You think you hate it when I talk shit about myself? How do ya think I feel about you kicking yourself around?" Marie scolded him, an intensity in her visible eye that he couldn't help but be a little frightened of. What he wouldn't realize until a short time in the future was that he would come to admire that intense gaze and fierce determination when Marie was on about something…

"I…. Yes… Yes, you're quite right, Marie… I guess I would be inconsiderate here. My apologies." It was more of a needed habit that he apologized again, knowing that Marie would react with a snort and a roll of her visible eye. His overt politeness was as embedded to his soul as his hat seemed to be embedded to his head.

"Eh, I shouldn't get snappy after you gave me this kickass sketchbook. Hmm… Hey, I wanna draw ya. Is that alright?" she asked, ready to open her new book up to the first blank page and start drawing.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt. Umm… I just sit absolutely still, right?" he asked.

"Yup. Just like a Muffin on a plate." Marie giggled as she flung open her book, took out a pencil, and got to sketching. And so, time passed in what was mostly silence as Marie, her eye going back and forth between glancing at him and then focusing back on the paper, worked on her new book's first picture. It was a slow process, one that Edd wished he brought an educational book to read during the meantime, but he knew that reading would probably be considered as rude anyway, considering she needed him to model.

After nearly an hour, she finally seemed satisfied with her work as she took one final critical look at it and then decided to put her pencil back with the others in the little package they came in. "Alright, finished! I first thought to just draw ya as ya are, sittin' there in that cubicle, but… I kinda got an idea…" Marie said with a hint of shyness as she turned the sketchbook around to show him the drawing.

It wasn't a masterpiece by any means, but Edd could definitely tell that she had a significant amount of potential talent that needed to be harnessed and perfected. What he saw was himself, dressed in some sort of strange, old-timey garb and holding up a lantern, shining bright. His other hand was reaching down to a fallen second figure, which turned out to be a raggedy representation of Marie herself, whom she made out to look like a helpless beggar or something to that effect.

"See…? You're my only light of hope in this dark time…" Marie said, her face blushing, a sight that was even rarer than her genuine smile.

While Edd was certainly impressed and awestruck by her picture's look and meaning, he did ponder if her old obsession with him was still there. Even if that was the case, he was thankful that they were getting to know each other now before anything would ever come about. But that made him wonder about when she got out… Would she ask him out? Would she regress to chasing him again? They were friends now and he figured that it would be for the best if that was how it stayed. Just friends. He certainly had no thoughts on what it would be like to kiss the pretty bluenette in a calm, romantic way for once (instead of the sloppy forced kisses of the past)… Her blue hair soft to the touch… Her visible eye staring deep into his own… Her discolored teeth oddly enough not an indicator of bad breath or anything… HOLD ON A SECOND!

Edd was losing track of his train of thought again, this time more than usual. And he wasn't sure if he liked where it was going… Did he? Could someone give a former enemy a chance in THAT way and have it work out well? A curious hypothesis, but not one that he was sure he was willing to conduct the experiment himself to answer… He definitely needed some time to seriously ponder, before any more of these wild thoughts run rampant. Perhaps something nutritious for dinner tonight, preferably some brain food…

"You're… I mean, that's lovely, Marie." Edd said, catching his slip of the tongue as his mind still reeled from its strange musings. He hoped that Marie didn't notice. But the bluenette simply thanked him happily for the praise. He mentally sighed in relief, glad that she hadn't caught on.

She noticed alright. She wasn't going to play that card on him just yet. No, that would just scare him off and that was something she refused to do to him… But nonetheless, the possibility that he might be feeling something for her, along with his gift of course, made her feel better than she did before this visit. She wasn't going to worry her Oven Mitt anymore. What's done was done. Who knows? Maybe the Kankers could get out earlier with good behavior or something?

Bottling her rage wasn't the best answer, she concluded after the closer friends parted ways for the day, Edd promising to visit on the weekend. So, she'd have to find other ways to vent her stress…

-The next day-

Lee had to smirk to herself as she lifted weights again. For whatever reason, her blue-haired sister seemed a bit happier since she went to see her visiting Sockhead yesterday. If only they shared a cell, she could get the details outta her by cornering her, but Marie just kept her mouth shut when Lee kept asking what Edd did to cheer her up. That wasn't gonna stop her from trying to get the answers out of her, though.

"C'mon, Marie. Don't we Kanker Sisters tell each other everything?" Lee badgered Marie, who was spotting for the redhead as usual.

"Nuh uh, Lee. Can't tell ya. That's between my Muffin and I." Marie said in a snarky way, grinning.

"Ooh, was it one of them conjugal visits? You're the first of us to lose her V-card?!" Lee guessed, playfully hamming up her faux-excitement. As if this juvie prison would allow sexual visits… Fat chance.

Marie blushed. "You wish, Lee! No, he just… showed me that things will get better. Might be sooner, might be later, but they will."

If Lee wasn't pushing up a dumbbell, she would've done that fake-gagging gesture to show how sappy she thought Marie's answer was. But despite that, Lee was just glad that Marie wasn't so dour anymore. As the self-proclaimed leader by way of being the oldest, Lee knows that her sisters are beyond important to her, no matter how much they fought each other back in the trailer. If either of them are miserable about something other than the usual sibling squabbling, then Lee's miserable too, even if she preferred not to show too much concern.

Now if only May would just take her damn morning shower… But that was another matter at the moment.

"A little TOO optimistic there, Marie… But it's good that you're feelin' better. We Kankers are survivors, after all." Lee said, grunting as she pushed the weight back up again.

"Got that right. And no, I'm still not tellin' ya what he exactly did." Marie quipped, figuring that Lee might have just been buttering her up.

"Dammit, Marie! C'mon!" Yup, Marie was right…

"You'll find out when I want ya to find… huh?" Marie suddenly stopped as she noticed someone approaching them. It was May, carrying what looked like a bucket of water. "May? What's up?"

"I'm not goin' back in that shower…! I don't want some loser guy thinking he can just… do that to me! Can I just hide behind you two in some secluded corner while I just do a quick sponge bath? Please!" May asked, desperate. As dirty as the trailer usually got, the Kankers at least believed in the basic bodily hygiene practices.

"For the luvva… May! No rabid boy's gonna even touch you! The showers are separated anyway. One side for girls, one side for boys. Ya know the guards'll catch on to any boy trying to sneak in, right?" Lee asked, not even stopping her weightlifting to sit up to scold May.

"Well… Yeah, I guess… But still, what about… umm…" May trailed off, unsure of how to phrase the next question, due to nerves.

"What, you're scared that some chick's gonna use you to see if she's gay or not?" Marie asked, right to the point. May nodded. "Sigh… May, if it makes ya feel any better, how about we all take showers as a group? If some chick gets curious on you, we'll make sure she'll wanna find some different girl to 'scrub down', ok?" Marie offered, rolling her eyes.

"I guess that's ok… Thanks, Marie…" May said, now feeling a little foolish about the bucket of soapy water she was holding.

"Jeez, the clichés we put up with around here…" Lee muttered to herself as she laid back down to resume pumping iron.

-That evening-

Marie was in her cell, alone as usual. A part of her was now thankful for the lack of company (other than the prisoners in nearby cells, of course), as she had decent enough privacy to sketch a drawing in her new sketchbook. She ended up being inspired by what had brought them to this forsaken place to begin with and, as the evening wore on, she ended up sketching a rough drawing of her friend and crush in a fetal position as he was terrified by an anthropomorphic three-headed dog, each head being a furry version of one of the Kanker Sisters ( **1** ). Marie knew she should stop thinking of herself in such a negative manner, like she promised herself she would. But she felt like something like this needed to be drawn, perhaps for closure or some form of posterity. A reminder of why she wanted to maintain and develop a real bond with Double D, to make up for her past behavior.

She sighed as she shut the sketchbook on her second drawing. It would be a long and arduous road to freedom, but she would get there, along with her sisters. With that, she took out a book she checked out of the prison library. It didn't have much of a selection (as if any prisons around here gave criminals many luxuries), but whoever established this joint must've figured that even juvenile minds still needed to grow with knowledge. She figured that, perhaps as a way to help herself, she'd take a page out of her good friend's book and start learning about things. What she had was a book about cars, figuring that it'd go well with her developing interest in tinkering with things…

Maybe someday, she'd do the Eds a favor and fix up that wacky-lookin' van that they would sometimes hang out in at the Junkyard. A daunting task, considering the pathetic condition it was currently in, but it would be cool if it was running like new. She remembered cackling to herself the first time she heard that van's "La Cucaracha" horn while the Kankers' secretly spied on their 'prey' one day… Imagine, the Eds with their own Mystery Machine. Although, they weren't detectives, nor did any of the Eds express interest in such (not counting Double D's penchant for learning and solving all things science). Perhaps she'd name it the Money Machine? The Rain Maker, like that slang phrase for 'making it rain money'? The Million Dollar Van? She snickered to herself. She'd pay Double D back for all his kindness somehow…

Whenever they'd get out of this dump…

-The next day-

The cafeteria seemed to be not much different than the stereotypical prison mess hall: numerous guards, cramped seating, and crappy food. The only differences were that the room didn't look as much like a foreboding cesspit of herded human cattle and that the food, while it did taste bland at best, didn't look like the unidentifiable slop that was rumored to be fed to adult criminals in the big-time prisons… Even so, Marie thought the breakfast on this particular day would've been more suited to be fed to the undead.

"Ugh… This crap seems worse than usual today. Cook feelin' sadistic today?" Lee muttered as she barely managed to choke down another bite of what was allegedly cream of wheat.

"Bet the toilets are gonna be all clogged by the time today's done, if this bad quality food keeps coming." Marie quipped, picking at her food with a spoon. May was going to add to the conversation, but was interrupted when a tray of food crashed into Marie, watery eggs and bacon grease staining her prison uniform and a bowl of what Marie called the 'scream of wheat' landing on her head, getting all in her hair. Everyone turned to see what the noise was all about and immediately grew nervous. The Kankers were already well-known for their fighting prowess when provoked... The nearby guards had their hands on their holsters, waiting to see if the situation escalated enough to step in, even though they usually let the prisoners tire themselves out a bit before subduing them.

Marie stood up and yanked the bowl off her head with one hand. "Who the hell threw that?!" she demanded. As she angrily looked around, a few people pointed toward someone that Marie recognized as one of the handful of inmates that previously thought they could beat up a Kanker. However, the girl that the others were pointing to was pointing at the empty seat next to her.

"I didn't do it! He did!" the girl snapped, swatting a couple of nearby pointing hands away.

"Bullshit. There's nobody there!" Marie snarled, making her way over to the offending rival. The girl grew nervous and grabbed at something.

"Yeah, there is! He threw that plate!" she snapped back, lifting up something that the Kankers somewhat recognized.

"…..Plank? You're telling me that a piece of freakin' wood threw a plate of food at me? Hah! Plank!" Marie cracked up laughing. Despite her unpleasant situation at the moment, she found it amusing that somebody else would be as weird as Jonny 2x4, even if there seemed to be something strange with that board itself…

"Hey, stop laughing at me… He really did throw it!" the fellow inmate complained, growing indignant.

"I'd be more likely to believe that he told you to throw it. If you're going to bullshit me, at least try to come up with something that makes sense." Marie advised, still laughing a little. Plank, of all things… Her occasional opponent was lucky that Marie was planning on hitting the showers after breakfast anyway.

The girl in question huffed and placed Plank back in his seat. Of course, they didn't believe her. That Kanker bitch would get hers someday… Still, who would believe it? Nobody else could see what she saw… That look in Plank's crayon-drawn eyes, as if it knows what it's doing… This was no mere piece of wood. This was… the Plank Of Truth! ( **2** ) Or so it had proclaimed itself, anyway…

If it could somehow hurl a tray of food at someone, surely it can figure out a way out of this infernal prison…

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:** Fourth chapter is finished! Whew… I think I'm getting somewhere with this. Hope I'm not losing steam with it, though. I figured that Marie might've been upset with herself about blowing the Kankers' chances of a shortened sentence, so I kinda had her be a little mopey. Leave it to the ever-observant-but-awkward Double D to try and cheer her up. A step forward in their friendship, I'd say.

Hmm… How to officially initiate the Edd/Marie romance? How to get the Kankers out of jail early? What the hell am I doing including PLANK into this with his own little subplot about somehow being sentient?! (Or is he?! Has it just found another soul with a tendency to create imaginary friends?) These are things I'm pondering as I write this… Any thoughts you guys might have, feel free to tell me via a review. It's much appreciated.

Reference footnotes:

1) I decided to base Marie's second drawing off of that popular theory about Ed, Edd n Eddy that the Cul-De-Sac is actually Purgatory, the kids are just their dead souls that're hanging around in Purgatory, and the Kankers are actually Cerberus, the three-headed canine gatekeeper of Hell and the Eds are apparently Cerberus' favorite targets to torment. I don't subscribe to that theory myself, as it is pretty depressing to think about, but I figured it'd be cool to reference it. Obviously, in her drawing, I tweaked "Cerberus Kanker" to be a three-headed canine Furry babe, because reasons.

2) Ripped right outta South Park with that reference! Stick Of Truth video game, anyone? Jonny and Plank would probably fit right in with the South Park kids role-playing Fantasy RPG and feuding over a stick of "magical power"… Jonny would claim that Plank's more powerful!

Thank you all for reading!


	5. The Shaw-Kanker R-Ed-emption

Disclaimer: I don't own anything I use here.

Chapter 5: The Shaw-Kanker R-Ed-emption

Marie was adrift in a sea of chaos one morning, just past the five month mark of her stay in prison. What was going to be another morning in the exercise yard with Lee and May turned into a turbulent frenzy of fists, kicks, chokes, and throws when she was besieged by an angry gang of prisoners. From what she gathered, they were attempting to stage a prison break via uprising and they needed to start a riot. Of all the people to be in their way, it just has to be Marie Kanker… which was bad news for the small band of rioters that chose to attack her while others wreaked havoc elsewhere.

A chokehold from behind didn't stop the bluenette from lifting both her feet up and kicking at the inmate in front of her, sending him falling backward. She then kept her feet up, letting gravity help yank her head out of the clumsy submission hold. Like the scrapper she was, she grabbed a handful of dirt and threw it up in the face of the inmate who had her in the hold as he reached down to grab her again, blinding him while she got back to her feet and immediately kicked him 'south of the border'.

"Nice try, rookie!" she quipped before kneeing the bent over rioter hard in the nose, rendering him out of commission. There was one goon left in her vicinity and she was already looking nervous as Marie turned toward her.

"Uh… Um… Nevermind!" the girl yelped before running away. Smartest move that inmate would probably make all day. Taking a survey of the yard, she could see that the guards were having some trouble as the rebellious inmates decided to take the fight to them head-on as they tried to enter the yard to restore order. More importantly to Marie, her sisters were also fending off goons of their own. Lee's prison pastime of weightlifting seemed to work out very well for her as she lifted one inmate right over her head and hurled her right into another inmate, the two opponents crumbling into a pile. A living example of beating a jabroni with another jabroni, if Marie did say so herself.

May, on the other hand, was scared and when she was scared, the blonde didn't freeze up with fright. No, May would get… squirrelly, as Marie would best describe the situation. No matter what the three inmates that surrounded her tried to do to May, the blonde would dodge and duck and weave her way out of their attacks. At one point, the blonde ducked down and rapidly crawled between the inmates' legs, in and out and here and there like… well… a panicked squirrel. (Hey, her prominent buck teeth certainly adds to the comparison, that's for sure…) The strange tactic worked to confuse the trio of villainous rebels, who tried in vain to kick and stomp at her. They were so focused on the frightened blonde that none of them realized that the blue-haired Kanker was heading right for them until it was too late and one of them got clobbered with a flying missile dropkick, Marie deciding to get a running start and really let the guy have it. The victim flew forward, barreling through the other two inmates before finally hitting the fence and dropping to the ground.

"Jeez, some of us are just trying to live, am I right?" Marie said dryly as she helped May to her feet.

"Can't blame 'em for wanting out, but I lost sympathy for 'em the moment they tried clubbin' me. Hmm… Wanna go after the rest of 'em? I still got plenty o' fight left." Lee said, cracking her knuckles. Once Lee got in a mood to fight, it took one hell of a brawl to satisfy her, as May and Marie knew from personal experiences with their history of sibling bickering.

"Let's make 'em wish they behaved like good little jailbirds." Marie replied with a devilish smirk that hadn't been seen since before their capture. As much as she wanted to be a better person (especially for a certain genius she knew), it would be good to cut loose this one time. After all, nobody crosses the Kankers and gets away with it.

"Uhh… Can we go after the ones struggling with the guards first? Getting them while they're distracted should be easy…" May suggested, honestly still nervous about the prospect of fighting angry prisoners. Fighting her sisters and perhaps the other cul-de-sac kids was no big deal, but May still had concerns about some of the hardened criminals in this juvenile prison (even though half of those concerns were based from the 'dropping the soap' concept…).

"Hey, we can do this, May. Hmm… Just imagine them trying to hurt Big Ed." Lee suggested. After a moment, Lee smirked, for her suggestion worked like a charm. The buck-toothed blonde had a fiery intensity in her eyes as she let loose with a battle cry that many a trailer park inhabitant could respect before May ran off, charging toward the fray with a shout of "Hold on, Big Ed! Mama's comin'!".

"Knew that'd work." Lee chuckled.

"That always works." Marie agreed.

-Meanwhile-

Edd couldn't believe the sheer stupidity that was before him. As a nearby portable radio played some music, Ed and Eddy were already putting the finishing touches on their latest scam stand. Although, why they would even need a stand for something that seemed so pointless, not to mention intangible, was beyond the young prodigy's comprehension.

"Seriously, Eddy… 'Ed, Edd, n Edd-Meme: Dank Memes For Cash'? Are you trying to follow trends again? Because that worked 'so well' that one time… Surely, nobody's going to buy into this." Edd criticized as Ed hung a crude homemade drawing of an internet meme, one with a cat that simply said 'Can I has jawbreakerz?'.

"Think about it, Sockhead. Everything's going digital these days and we need to capitalize on it. People pay us to come up with clever memes for their internet postings! Simple, yet brilliant, right?!" Eddy explained with his signature excitement. Despite having earned acceptance from almost the entire Cul-De-Sac, Eddy still felt the need to pull stunts like these. Having come to a form of understanding, the other kids now see their antics as a form of entertainment, sometimes even chipping in a dollar or two on occasion.

"I don't know about how brilliant it is. It sort of feels like we skipped a decade and a half. Very suspicious…" Edd pondered aloud, looking straight ahead. If there were a camera somehow, he'd be looking right into it. But there wasn't a camera, of course. How could there be?

"Ah, don't overthink it, Double D. That's just life, man. Sometimes it gets ahead of ya, sometimes you get ahead of it! And we're on top of the curve with this scam, I'm sure of it!" Eddy exclaimed, his confidence not wavering one bit.

"Yeah, sure, Eddy… Let's just…" Before Edd could finish his reluctant acceptance of Eddy's declaration of impending victory, the radio's music cut off and was replaced with what seemed to be a local news bulletin, apparently of some sort of emergency.

" _We interrupt this broadcast for some breaking news. There are reports of a riot in progress within the Peach Creek Juvenile Correctional Facility. It is unknown at this time whether dangerous inmates have escaped or if anyone has been seriously hurt, but we advise you to please be on guard of any suspicious activity or dangerous characters. We will have updates on the situation as the day progresses. Thank you and have a nice day."_

"A riot? Peach Creek Juvenile…? Oh no! The Kankers! MARIE! Dear Lord, what's going on over there…?!" Edd asked, immediately worried over the safety of his good friend. And her sisters too, of course! Wouldn't want to forget about them.

"Oh, why are you in such a twist, Sockhead?! What if those Kankers are LEADING that riot?! Ever think of that?!" Eddy protested, as Edd should have expected. Edd knows that Eddy only went to see Lee two more times after Double D dragged him over to visit the first time and, naturally, they argued both times… Of course, he still wouldn't trust the bossy redhead just yet. Edd sighed as he lamented that some things take more time than others.

"That can't possibly be the case, Eddy. If it were the Kankers, they would've staged an outrageous uprising much sooner than now. Even you would know that they were never the type to be very patient." Edd scolded, shooting down the short con's brash accusations.

"Eh, fine. I still say ya shouldn't bother worryin' too much about them." Eddy grumbled.

Edd turned his attention to the tallest member of the group. "What say you, Ed? May's probably caught up in this riot… Sounds pretty dangerous, doesn't it?" Edd suggested. Now this was a bond that truly held potential, as Ed had opted to visit the goofy blonde almost as often as Edd visited Marie, once he got used to the fact that May couldn't (and now, wouldn't) aggressively pounce on him and smother him with sloppy kisses. They bonded over a shared interest in comics and movies about the supernatural. And food…

"Pretty, friendly, squishy May? Hurt?! OH NO, DOUBLE D! We gotta do something!" Ed cried out in panic as he suddenly took off and ran in a random direction, obviously unsure of which way the juvenile facility was. Edd smirked. That was one way to put Eddy's scheme on hold for now.

"And away we go, I suppose, Eddy." Edd chuckled as he sprinted forth to aid his oafish friend with directions. Eddy kicked the stand in frustration (which promptly fell to pieces due to shoddy construction) and trudged after his annoying, well-meaning friends.

"You guys better figure out how to get us some jawbreakers after this!" Eddy yelled after them.

As Edd ran toward the prison, making sure Ed was running the right way, his mind couldn't help but calculate the number of different dangerous scenarios that Marie could be in right this moment. For each scenario, his mind would try to deduce a strategy or countermeasure to effectively solve the problem. But for all the calculations he could make, he knew that all he could try and do was to find out if the Kankers were faring well.

Suddenly, he noticed that Ed had accidentally cut off Nazz as she was walking, sending the beauteous blonde into a brief dizzying spin. As Nazz recovered, Double D has caught up with her, panting from exhaustion.

"Ugh… That Ed, I swear… Oh, hey, Double D? Why're you dudes running?" Nazz wondered, genuinely curious.

Unfortunately, Edd could only pant out a couple of words at a time. "Riot… at the… juvenile prison… Kankers… Wanna see… if they're fine… Need to…. hurry…. Blast this… infernal running…!" Nazz had heard from Sarah that Edd had been going to that prison fairly often to visit Marie Kanker, specifically. The little redhead mentioned something about how Edd was supposedly trying to help the Kankers become better people, despite what they had previously done to the Eds. Personally, Nazz thought that was very sweet of Double D to give his tormentor another chance. Perhaps his helpful nature was why a part of the blonde had a soft spot for the awkward geek. At least Double D wouldn't think about a bike more than he would her. (Somewhere, Kevin sneezed…)

"Oh no! A riot? That's very dangerous, Double D! Like, you sure you want to go over there?" Nazz asked, worrying about what could become of it.

"Yes, Nazz… I figure that the police must've surrounded the facility by now. I figure I could at least inquire about if anyone's been injured or… worse…" Edd gulped, not wanting to even think about that kind of outcome.

"Well… They're the Kanker Sisters, Double D. Everyone knows they can survive just about anything." Nazz reminded him with a smile, preferring to keep to her cheery attitude. She figured Edd could use the vote of confidence anyway.

"Quite right, Nazz. However, I must be on my way, especially before Ed causes some sort of ruckus to interfere with police business. Good day." Edd said in a hurry as he took off again. Such a nice girl, that Nazz. If the situation wasn't so urgent, he would've noted how he actually didn't clam up when talking to her for once.

Meanwhile, Nazz watched as Double D ran off in the direction of the prison in question. Her thoughts were already running wild with speculation on why Double D sorely needed to see what was going on with the Kankers. Judging by what Sarah had told her and what she had just witnessed, she couldn't say for sure, but she had already drawn one possible conclusion. 'He likes Marie…' she thought, not completely sure how to feel. Sure, she wasn't overly interested, but… well, she was curious. Oh well.

At this point, the reluctant Eddy had came up to her, still stomping along as slow as he wanted to be. "S'up, Nazz… Uh, wha'cha lookin' at?" Eddy asked, noticing that Nazz had been simply staring in the direction that Edd had disappeared off to…

-Elsewhere-

"LET ME IN, PLEASE! HURT MAY IS BAD FOR ED!" Ed cried as police had dogpiled on the friendly-but-strong oaf. Edd never thought that he'd hear Ed say something like that. He considered it another sign that relations between the Eds and Kankers were indeed improving. Still, there were more pressing matters as he approached the gated-off entrance to the prison.

"Good Lord, man! Cease your struggling, Ed. The police are just doing their jobs. I'm sure May is fine. Uh, who's in charge of this outfit?" Edd asked, frantically looking for a peaceful way to get the lawmen to stop detaining his friend. A gruff-looking cop that was observing the situation while sipping on some coffee stepped forward.

"Yeah, I'm the captain here. This guy a friend of yours? He was actually trying to break into this joint, if ya can believe it. Heh… Kids today…" the captain rolled his eyes as he took another glance at the squirming Ed.

"Actually, officer, we have a couple of friends that are imprisoned within. When we heard over the radio that there was a riot in progress, well… we became worried about their well-being. Please pardon my friend's actions. He does tend to be a hyperactive sort of person…" Edd explained, hoping that civil politeness can work for once. The captain, taking a swig of coffee, observed the hat-wearing teen with a wary eye before responding.

"I see. Eh, you two seem to be good kids. It's getting rarer to see someone that would still care about friends when they're in deep trouble. We hear a lot of stories of people being ditched by friends and family upon getting on the wrong side of the law… I'm sure your friends would be glad to hear that you came to check up on them. Well, providing they're alright, of course…. We can radio the staff inside to see if they know of the situation. Hell, we were just about to do that anyway. While we're at it, we can ask about your buddies, see if anybody knows anything." the captain offered. Edd graciously thanked the officer with a handshake (which nearly flattened his poor hand, due to his usual lack of physical endurance). With that, the captain began attempting to contact any guards that could pick up on their frequency…

-Inside the prison-

"Did ya know that your head makes an excellent drum?" Marie asked an unlucky rioter as she rode on his back and clapped her hands on his head repeatedly in a taunting fashion while the rioter tried in vain to shake her off.

"Stop playing, Marie! We got a jailbreak to stop, remember?!" Lee snapped, groaning at her sister's antics as she punched another thug in the face.

"Aw, man, I was just about to go into a drum solo too… Alright then." Marie sighed in resignation as she wrapped her arms around her 'ride's neck and turned her position into a clinging sleeper hold. "Time for a nap, goon!"

The prisoner thrashed in a futile attempt to break the sleeper hold as he began to fade from a lack of air, eventually falling down. Marie still hung on until the inmate finally went still. "There. You'll wake up all refreshed and ready to get about 6 extra months added to your sentence." she told the unconscious inmate in a mock-happy tone.

"Hey, ya think Big Ed will like me as a vigilante?" May asked as she somehow gave her opponent a perfectly executed roundhouse kick, hitting him high upside his head. Since when did May get good at martial arts? Or was that a fluke…? Some things you just don't question the logic of in Peach Creek…

"As if this town needed any more. We got that Melonhead character that occasionally pops up here and there. Not to mention, Short Stuff's recent attempt at a 'cool' persona. Ha. The Sublime Master Thief ( **1** ), he says. The only thing that lug could steal is my heart." Lee spat, remembering Eddy's attempt at peddling cheap DVDs, which had turned out to be badly done, shortened, homemade renditions of famous movies, acted out by the Eds. (Who could forget Ed and Eddy botching up the Pulp Fiction "Do they speak English in 'What'?!" scene? Amazingly, Ed somehow blew it despite the fact that his only line was saying "What?"…)

"Aw, c'mon, Lee! I could be a cool heroine too! Check me out! I'm the one they call… uh… uhhh… SuperKanker? No, that's too bland…" May had struck a pose, but as she thought, she accidentally tripped the next thug that had been charging at her, sending him tumbling right to the ground. "Uh, the Unbeatable Squirrel—" May was cut off by a thug grabbing her from behind and proceeding to drag her away.

"Whew… I hate the way it happened, but the last thing we need is getting a lawsuit for copyright infringement." Lee remarked, seemingly to nobody.

"The hell you talkin' about, Lee?" Marie asked, impervious to the ever-present fourth wall that seems to stalk every single known universe… But that concept can wait. There was a riot to survive and May was in trouble.

As it would turn out, the Kankers need not have worried, for May managed to put her buck teeth to good use and took a bite out of the inmate's arm, resulting in her being instantly released. "Eww, you taste like a movie extra!" May complained as she proceeded to scratch at her would-be captor's face with her unclipped nails.

"That's it, May! Let 'em have it!" cheered Lee as May then poked the goon hard in the eyes. The blonde then yanked a nearby fire extinguisher off the wall and sprayed the guy in the face with it. And she kept spraying and spraying until the whole area was a thick white fog.

"MAY! You're overdoing it!" Marie yelled in between coughs and hacks.

"I didn't say let him have ALL of it, May!" Lee growled, also hacking through the fog.

"Oooh, I got it, you guys! How about callin' me… Mayday!" May exclaimed as she burst out from the edge of the thick fog and struck another pose, an excited grin on her face. All the rioting inmates in this corridor had been completely knocked out, leaving the now-dusty Kankers to continue on.

"I'll make you cry 'mayday' alright if ya try to suffocate us again, May!" Lee threatened as she spat out a hacked-up loogie and batted the white residue off of her red hair with her hands.

"Aww…" May pouted as the three girls ran down the corridor of prison cells, hoping that they were nearing the end of this mess…

-Outside-

"Anybody hear me in there?! This is Captain Mahoney of the Peach Creek Police Department! Respond, over!" It had to be the fifteenth time that the squad captain tried to radio in using the prison's walkie frequency. Not including a couple of garbled attempts at a response after the first couple of attempts, there wasn't much of a reply from within. Captain Mahoney began to assume the worst, as did Double D.

Ed, who had been freed from the struggle with the cops, just stood right at the gate itself and stared in, his worry evident through his dog-like whimpering. Even though his accident-prone nature caused more than a few unfortunate incidents for the cul-de-sac kids, the oaf never liked seeing anybody get seriously hurt, not even Sarah, despite the fact that she seemed to hate him most of the time. Even Ed knew that the neighborhood youth were a strangely hardy bunch that could withstand a lot, but he'd seen plenty of movies and TV shows that involved hardened criminals trying to break out… His overactive imagination readily conjured up a small army of punks just as vicious as Eddy's brother. Not a pleasant image…

Eddy still wondered why they bothered showing up. Lee would just kick all of the rioters' asses, he figured. Why worry about that bossy trailer girl anyway? He could've been busy with his meme scam and Lee would be the ruling queen of a pile of beaten-up escapees. A win-win, according to him. But nooooo, Double D had to drag them here to play the waiting game… Yawn!

"Oh dear, what if they got to all the staff in there? What if they're hostages now? What if they're all dead now? What if the Kankers got caught in the warpath?" Double D rambled on, completely consumed by worry as he paced back and forth. He showed up, but now what could he do?

"What if the Kankers are leading the riot?" Eddy sarcastically chimed in.

"What if the… Eddy! Will you drop it?! There's no way that they've come so far in their mental rehabilitation only to revert back to something akin to barbarians." Edd scolded the short con-artist, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Bah, you're just saying that because you caught feelings for Marie." Eddy challenged, crossing his arms and glaring up at the hat-wearing prodigy.

"Wha? That can't be, Eddy. I just think it's fair that the Kankers get a second chance at life. The reason for their incarceration, as I said before, is quite absurd." Double D countered, also crossing his arms. The police officers decided to watch the two teens argue, as there was still no response on the radio and nothing else seemed to be happening as of yet.

"Oh yeah, Sockhead?! Then why do you constantly visit only Marie? I don't hear anything about May or Lee being 'graced by your genius presence'! And you say you care about all three of them. Hah!" Eddy snapped, trying in vain to make himself look bigger.

"I do care about all three of them. That's why I tried bringing you two in to see Lee and May. At least one of you two actually has sense enough to give them a chance. Ed and May seem to have become good friends and he's learned not to be scared of girls as much. See? That's progress. You should really try giving Lee a chance, Eddy. Imagine the ideas the two of you could come up with if you just put your egos aside." Edd suggested, not backing down. Eddy stomped up to Edd, the two of them glaring as if they could break into a fight at any moment.

"You. Love. Marie!" Eddy simply stated, a stiff emphasis on every word.

"You're afraid that you'll fall for Lee!" Edd countered.

"I didn't hear a denial, Brainiac!" Eddy exclaimed, grinning.

Edd groaned. "For the love of Einstein… Knock it off, Eddy! We got bigger things to worry about." At this point, the squad of cops ended up looking back and forth between the arguing teens as if this was a tennis match.

"Sockhead and Marie, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Eddy taunted, dancing around as he did so.

"Good Lord, Eddy, are you back in Kindergarten? You're being ridiculous!" Double D chastised, putting a palm on his face in frustration.

"Still not hearing ya deny it, genius!" Eddy taunted again, still mockingly strutting around.

"Knowing our particular brand of luck, I refuse to be so rude as to vehemently deny such accusations aloud. What I do and how I feel is my own business, Eddy." Edd sternly replied.

"Yeah? Well, how about ya stay outta my business about me not wanting to hang around Lee much!? So what if she likes getting down and dirty too? Doesn't mean I have to cling to a damn Kanker…" Eddy growled, immediately pouncing on what he figured was something he could turn against Double D.

"So you two do have something in common. I should inform you that, upon recent research on what's socially acceptable these days, not many women tend to enjoy the kind of games you tend to play on people. Granted, it's mostly due to the women ending up as victims of said games, whether the men they were involved with cheated on them or ripped them off somehow. So, finding one that likes playing along with your scams should be a blessing for you, Mr. Ladies Man." Edd explained, hoping he could successfully play on Eddy's tendency to believe that he can be a chick magnet.

"Well… Uh… Yeah, maybe… I guess. But… but she's a Kanker!" Eddy defended lamely.

"And that's something that can never be truly changed about them, genetics being what they are. But they can most definitely grow into better people, in terms of mentally maturing. I've seen that happen with Marie and Ed's surely seen that too with May, as much as he might not fully understand such a concept. The cul-de-sac finally forgave us for our multitude of dishonorable actions after that horrible incident with your brother. Can't you do the same with Lee?" Edd asked before turning away and wandering over to Ed, who was still staring at the prison through the front gate.

Eddy stood there, no comeback or counterargument coming to mind. He hated when that Sockhead had a solid point… Maybe talking with Lee again wouldn't be so bad. As long as that bushy-haired broad doesn't immediately start with the arguing again, of course… How the hell does she even see with that hair always covering up her eyes anyway?

A few more minutes passed as the police captain still failed to make contact with anybody inside. Ed and Double D's worries increased as the waiting dragged on, minutes feeling like hours as their minds kept bringing up numerous possible dreadful outcomes. Ed's frightened whimpering gave Double D the impression that whatever situations he was thinking about were most likely something out of his mythological entertainments… or perhaps merely the worst of prison tropes.

Suddenly, the main doors of the prison were kicked open and a handful of people made their way outside. The cops immediately took positions around the entrance gate and drew their weapons. As the group drew closer, it was apparent that things were pretty bad. In the middle of the group, restrained by handcuffs and being forced along by the pair of tough teens behind him was the warden of the prison, captured and held hostage by the rioters. The brown-haired female that seemed to walk with a stride of confidence gave the impression that she was the leader of at least the small bunch with her.

"Ah, cops waiting to greet us. How very expected. That's why we got our ticket outta here. You walking bacon factories better let us go free or else we're going to have to insist that ol' warden here feel our pain. And trust me, it's a lot of pain!" the girl barked, not wasting much time with small talk.

"Are you the one responsible for this riot?" Captain Mahoney yelled back, using a conveniently available bullhorn.

"What, me? The big cheese? Not exactly, but the boss' here with us." the girl cryptically trailed off, mockingly batting her eyelashes at the captain as she pretended to be flattered by his assumption that she led the whole uprising.

"Who's this boss you speak of?" the captain asked in hopes that this group of punks happened to be the chatty sort.

"Heh… Just one minute and I'll introduce ya." she grinned before turning to her minions. "Ok, where is he? I gave him to one of you…"

The Eds and the cops weren't sure what the group of crooks were talking amongst themselves about. They seemed to be searching themselves for something. Weren't they supposed to show off their mastermind? What's to search for? Eventually, one of them gave a positive response of some kind which led to the assertive female exclaiming "Give me that!" before turning her attention back to the law enforcement.

"Ahem… Allow me to introduce our inspiration for our escape. Meet Mr. Plank!" she said, holding up a piece of wood that the Eds immediately recognized. The only thing different about Plank was that his name was 'tattooed' beneath his crayon smile in a style that looked like he was wearing a golden necklace with his name on it.

"The freakin' hell?!" Eddy butted in, frustrated. "Plank told you guys what to do?! Are you all off your rockers?! It's a stupid piece of wood! The guy who owns that thing's most likely the weirdest kid in our neighborhood and we've seen plenty of weird stuff! Plank orchestrating a jailbreak… Hah! That board couldn't find its way out of a wood chipper!"

"Shut the hell up, you midget!" the lead girl snapped, pointing Plank at Eddy. "Now he'll just want to end you himself!"

Eddy had to laugh at that. "Plank end me? Hahaha! What's it gonna do? Gimme a splinter again?! Oh, I'm so 'dead' after this sliver of wood got me in the forearm! Whatever shall I do? Hahahaha!" Eddy mocked, eventually falling to the ground in his laughter. The girl fumed at the short stranger's mockery…. He would definitely be the first to go once that gate is opened.

"Eddy, please! They do have a hostage. It's not a good idea to provoke them…" Edd warned, noticing the girl's gnashing of teeth and, oddly enough, steam blowing out of her ears in anger.

"Aw, can it, Sockhead! That hostage ain't gonna die, man. What could they do anyway? Make him 'walk the Plank'?" Eddy scoffed before laughing again, rolling onto his stomach and pounding his fists on the ground in his amusement.

"THAT'S IT! I'll show you what we can do!" the riot leader declared before commanding the pair that held the warden in place to hold him still. She lifted Plank up over her head, as if the board were some sort of blunt weapon.

"Wait! Hold on a minute! There's no need to be hasty here! Please, let's talk this out!" Double D pleaded, not wanting to see anybody get seriously hurt. Eddy simply chuckled more.

"Oh no, Double D. Let 'em club 'im! That way, they'll no longer have any bargaining chips left. What's to stop the boys in blue from going in and subduing them when their hostage is just a knocked-out lump of injured deadweight?" Eddy loudly pointed out, causing the riot leader to hesitate. Edd also caught onto his suggestion.

"Ahh, I see… By all means, ma'am, feel free to make yourself adequately vulnerable then. I'm sure the police gathered here will be most fair in handling you." Edd chided the girl in a mock-polite tone, even going as far as wagging a finger at her.

"DAMMIT! Got any ideas, Plank?" the girl asked the inanimate board in her clutches. The other rioters with her had to admit that she looked foolish at that moment, seeking advice from some kid's imaginary friend. Even if it seemed like the worn wood had provided the means to start this attempted escape…

It was at that moment that the standstill would tip in someone's favor when an unexpected voice cut in from the main entrance.

"If ol' Termite Food there is drawin' blanks, we got a couple of ideas for ya!"

"Prepare for trouble…!"

"And make it triple!" ( **2)**

"Hold it… May, it's double, not triple!"

"Well, there's three of us, so triple!" the blonde persisted.

"There were three of them too if ya count that talkin' cat, but they made that bit work!" Marie snapped.

"No way any one of us is a mere mascot, girls! Let's just get to clobberin'!" Lee barked as she ducked the punch of a rioter, the group of them trying to take advantage of the sisterly bickering.

"It's friendly, squishy May, Double D! And her sisters too!" Ed exclaimed with relieved enthusiasm.

"I probably don't want to know why you like referring to May as 'squishy'… Nonetheless, it's good to see that the Kankers aren't just alright, but they're actually doing the right thing." Double D remarked, which caught Eddy by surprise.

"Wait… You're actually approving of a fight? You, Mr. I Always Follow The Rules?" Eddy asked, eyebrow raised. "Did you find that boomerang again?"

"Don't you see, Eddy? They're helping the police. These ruffians clearly have no intention of willingly returning to their cells or even listening to reason. That typically only leaves one recourse in situations like these: Putting them back by force. The Kankers might be heroes by the end of this." Edd explained to the other two Eds, watching as his blue-haired friend tussled with one of the burly thugs that had held the warden in place.

"Heroes?! Yeah, that's just what they need… Somethin' that'll go to their heads!" Eddy spat, crossing his arms as he reluctantly saw Lee give some random criminal an uppercut to the face. He would only admit to himself alone that he might have enjoyed seeing Lee bust up some fools. For once, she was being a pest to someone else and it was… kind of entertaining… Then, as the fight generally spilled out into the yard and closer to the gated-off audience, Eddy saw something happen that not many dared to do… A thug snuck up from behind and grabbed Lee by her hair and gave it a good yank.

From their distance, Eddy could briefly see a hint of something as the hair that normally covered her eyes was lifted upward, the curly mass of hair generally clustered together like the hairiest wad of chewed bubble gum. As it turned out, yes, Lee did indeed have eyes, although he couldn't exactly see them clearly. (For a brief while at one point in time, Eddy had conjured a conspiracy theory that Lee was actually born without eyes at all and generally used her other senses to move and interact normally, like a trailer-trash Daredevil, while using her hair to hide the deformity.)

As if she felt exposed, Lee stomped on the enemy's foot to make him let go. In her rage, she then gave him a hard shove to send him stumbling back a few feet and then, with a bit of space to build a little momentum, gave him a hard, high running knee to the face, instantly breaking the hair-puller's nose and sending him sprawling to the ground. "I call that the VD-Trigger, bitch!" ( **3** ) Lee declared in her anger. How dare he expose her eyes like that! She didn't like her eyes that much, as kids had previously made fun of her about them when they were younger… As if it was her fault that her eyes had different colors… And so she had hid them with her poofy, curly choice of hairstyle, learning how to see while being somewhat blinded by hair.

Meanwhile, May decided to duck and weave past the couple of inmates that chose to go after her and, instead of dealing with them, decided to charge right toward Plank's new owner. Seeing the wild blonde, the riot leader swung Plank at her as if it were… well… a board of wood. May chose to put her trademark buck teeth to good use. With a mighty chomp, her mouth intercepted her opponent's clubbing swing, her teeth embedded in Plank as May began to try and yank Plank away from the Kanker.

"You show that mean ol' board, May!" cheered Ed, happily bouncing on his own feet as he watched his former tormentor playing a strange tug-o-war against the girl who thought she had this riot thing in the bag.

"Don't you mean that she's showing that bossy wimp who's boss, Lumpy?" Eddy asked with a snort, put off by Ed's usual lack of brainpower.

"But Plank planned this escape. She said so." Ed pointed out.

"If you believe that, you're just as loopy as Jonny… Sheesh, it's just a board!" Eddy said, mainly frustrated at the continued insinuation that Plank is some sort of sentient being.

"Gimme Plank back, you maniac!" the leader shrieked, pulling and tugging as hard as she could. Her buck-toothed enemy had dropped down to her hands and knees, having opted to act like a dog as she kept using her mouth and teeth to try and get Plank out of her grasp. May even growled for full effect.

"Nothing like a little 'doggy style', am I right? Get it?" Eddy joked, his mood flipping at the chance to pick on one of his old nemeses. Edd sighed and shook his head in annoyance.

"That joke is just as 'enlightening' as that snow job one you made one winter or that one time you made fun of the sextant I have in my possession…" At this point, Eddy snickered, hearing the ever so amusing name of that navigational device. "How your jokes get past the censors is a riddle in itself." the young genius groused.

"Show's under new management, Double D!" Ed exclaimed for seemingly no reason.

"….Right… Ugh, okay, let's just resume our spectating and hope for the best." Edd suggested. Sometimes, his two best friends did stretch the limits of his patience for their shenanigans, although they didn't mean to. Well, maybe Eddy DID mean to sometimes, but that was a different matter… After a couple of seconds, he found the noticeable shock of blue hair that he was looking for.

Marie had no problems dealing with multiple inmates these days, at least in terms of being willing to deal with it. If she were to take a moment to look back on her time in this prison, the past fights she had gotten in could be considered training. Not that she believed that she needed it, of course. But it did help her get used to the ways of prison brawling. After all, when they're already in prison anyway, what's wrong with fighting dirty?

The main problem Marie had was the fact that she was elected by default to protect the warden. She barely contained the urge to complain about being stuck with the 'escort mission', having to devote a fair part of attention and care to making sure the warden doesn't get hurt while trying not to get beat up herself. Curse the impulsive nature of gang fighting… She then understood what her Oven Mitt must have felt when the other two Eds got too into their mischief or mishandled some of his inventions.

Still, it wasn't a scenario she couldn't handle. Quickly intercepting a pipe that was swung at her, she pulled on the blunt object and used the thug's sudden lack of balance to trip him up. As he fell, she managed to wrest the pipe away from him and immediately swung for the next guy that was going for her, hitting him in the arm. A kick to the balls later and she had her current enemy bent over and ready to be finished off. Yet another inmate kicked her in the back from behind, causing her to drop the pipe and stumble forward. She awkwardly used the bent-over rioter as a way to regain her balance when she accidentally flopped onto the bigger boy. For a moment, she ended up having the guy in a position to either deliver a powerbomb or a piledriver, with his head stuck in between her legs. Unfortunately, the goon used her position to his advantage as he got over the testicular pain and stood back up, his head hauling her up by the crotch.

The bluenette began pounding her fists against his back as she found herself hanging off of the inmate's head, as he had grabbed her flailing legs to keep her hanging there. The guy that had attacked her from behind then went up to them and whispered an idea into the ear of the inmate holding her captive. Whatever it was sounded unpleasant as they both chuckled about something moments later…

"Lee?! May?! Kinda barked myself up a wrong tree here!" Marie bellowed as she tried even faster to punch, scratch, and claw her way out of what could possibly be a hard landing.

"Aw, quit yer bellyachin', Marie! Just get down!" Lee snapped as she currently had her only opposition trapped in a headlock. Judging by how blue the inmate's face was, one could muse that her constant weightlifting was paying off with solid muscles.

"Get down, she says…" Marie muttered as her captor then began to pull her legs a bit, as if testing something. Then he pulled while bending forward, again as if he were testing something. Whatever he was preparing for was not going to be fun.

"C'mon, dude! Get some momentum, go forward, and haul her ass down like a club! It's not that hard." the watching inmate jeered, trying to goad the other into moving things along. In her current position, Marie was practically out of options. So, she did the only thing she could think of. She grabbed hold of the lower back of the attacker's prison garb and held on…

Not a moment later, the goon leaned back and then hefted himself forward, wanting to use the momentum to bring Marie's body up, over, and crashing into the ground, back and head first. What he wasn't expecting was to give himself one hell of a brutal wedgie. Marie went up and over alright, but so did the back of his uniform, which helped Marie have a relatively safer landing on her ass as the inmate who had wedgied himself let loose with a distinctively unmanly cry of pain.

"Wow, again with the crotch? You must really hate me right now." Marie mocked as the inmate clutched his family jewels and awkwardly waddled around to try and get whatever part of his uniform out of his own ass. Before she could get up, the other guy tried to stomp her, but she merely grabbed his incoming foot and yanked, causing him to lose balance and land in what had to be the most uncomfortable version of the splits ever, if the pain etched on his face was any indication.

"Oh, what's the matter? Not flexible enough? You probably should've said something when we began this little dance." the bluenette chided the poor inmate in a faux-concerned tone, a grin of discolored teeth betraying her true emotions of vindication. That grin was the last thing he'd see for a while as it was followed up by a punch to the face while he was stuck at the level of her seated position. For the moment, that seemed to be enough as Lee and May had their share of attention.

"Thank you, young lady… I was afraid I wasn't going to see the end of today." the warden said in gratitude as Marie got up. The middle Kanker went up to him and helped the frightened warden to his feet as his hands were still cuffed.

"Eh, seems like a Saturday night at the ol' trailer park to me. The only difference is that we're actually involved this time. Even the trailer trash can be good at keepin' their kiddos out of real danger. Heh… But whatever. We mainly got involved because they struck us first, to be honest." Marie played it as nonchalantly as possible. As if she'd ever kiss anyone's ass to try and squeeze a reward out… Other questionable things, sure. But sucking up? Screw that.

"Ah, understandable. Either way, you three have done some real good today. We rarely have jailbreaks, but this might be the first one where nobody actually gets out. Wonderful!" the overseer of the prison exclaimed. He seemed a little joyous of that fact, even while battle was still going on.

And speaking of battle… Lee had just choked out her final inmate that bothered to attack her. That only left the leader, who was still playing a fierce game of tug-o-war with the dog-like May, with Plank still trapped in the middle. The worn ground beneath the two showed that both sides have gained and lost ground during their lengthy struggle.

"Go, May, go! Go, May, go!" Ed kept cheering from his position, his head practically through the gap between gate bars as he pressed his face into it as hard as he could. Whenever Ed cheered, May responded by dragging the leader back to 'her' side of the makeshift warzone.

"Give… me… back… my… PLANK!" the now-alone rioter snarled, dragging May back to 'her' side.

"Grrrrr, no!" May said with a mouthful of wood. This continued as Marie, Lee, and even the warden approached the bizarre scene for a closer look. But the inevitable had to happen at some point. Somebody let go and lost. Specifically, the defeated leader of the rioters lost her grip on Plank. But this caused a chain reaction of May tumbling backward and falling on her ass, accidentally tossing Plank with her mouth as she fell. The imaginary friend tossed and turned in the air as it flew up… up… and over the tall gate that surrounded the building, finally hitting the middle of the street outside the prison.

The warden sighed. "Well, I take it back… ONE successful escape today…"

Having heard this, Eddy exploded. "IT'S JUST A DAMN BOARD! Jeez, I'll get it for ya! Argh!" he yelled as he stomped over toward the discarded piece of wood. However, a figure came out of the nearby bushes and immediately picked Plank up.

"Plank, ol' buddy! How'd you get outta prison?" Jonny 2x4 asked his long-time friend. He listened… "Really? You caused a riot and then turned your backs on the other inmates when things got rough? Wow, Plank! You sure showed them! What's that, Plank?... Why would you say that it's better than spending years digging a secret tunnel into the sewer system and then crawling through a mile of poop? That's oddly specific… C'mon, let's go find some gourds! Hahaha!" the neighborhood's weirdest kid chuckled as he ran off with Plank, leaving everyone to stand in stunned silence, staring at the spot where Jonny had been standing. A few moments had passed before a tumbleweed passed by and some sort of bird cawing could be heard. (Cue the show's sound effects store!)

"Well… That was oddly anticlimactic…" Edd remarked, scratching his head. Eddy kicked at a pebble by his foot in annoyance.

"Whatever. At least something returned to normal around here. I mean, how come Plank got thrown in there in the first place? It's just wood!" Eddy growled, bothered by the insanity of people treating that thing as if it were some living entity. "You cops better not put out an APB on that thing! C'mon, you get what I'm saying, right?" At the con-artist's query, the squad of cops merely looked amongst each other and shrugged.

"Of all the things we've seen in our lives, this is what bothers him…" Edd mused to seemingly no one, even though the others heard him.

The so-called leader of the would-be fugitives didn't seem to take this development well. "He betrayed me? But I…. he…. I thought… We were all gonna… I… no! NO, I can't be stuck here! I'm so close to freedom! It's right through that gate! I was there! Just a few feet to being a free woman! Why I oughta-!" she was immediately cut off with three kicks to the back and sides of the head, hitting her in unison from multiple directions, knocking her out instantly. All three Kankers had gotten fed up.

"SUPERKIIIIIIIIIICK!" Ed yelled excitedly.

"I'm sensing a trend with this day, Eddy..." groaned Edd as Marie approached him.

"Hey, Double D. Uh… Guess ya can tell today wasn't exactly the best day to come visit." she quipped, smirking at her favorite genius.

"Um… Well, I heard the breaking news report on the radio and I… well… I…" he stuttered and stammered, his mind instantly cursing his lack of confidence. It's just telling a friend that he's concerned about her safety. Nothing to get all worked up about, right?

"Grr, Sockhead dragged us all here because he couldn't wait 'til later to hear if you're in one piece… ya know, like a NORMAL person would!" Eddy grumbled, the last part he had yelled in Edd's direction. "Seriously, we were setting up a scam and everything and this guy just had to run all the way here. Ugh… I still say you like her, Einstein!" he continued complaining, getting a little amusement out of the blushes the two in question sported at his last comment.

"Um, well… That is to say… uhh… I was indeed concerned about your well-being when I heard about the violent jailbreak and I couldn't just sit idly by and wonder what could've happened to the three of you, so… here we are…" he lamely finished, resisting the urge to pull his hat over his eyes in awkward embarrassment.

Marie's smirk turned into another one of her genuine smiles, despite the remains of her blush still on her face. "Well, ain't you sweet, Muffin. Uh, thanks for showing up. As ya can see, we're all ok. So don'cha worry about it anymore, alright? But I think we three could use a good check-up in the infirmary and then a good rest. We went through a lot of wannabe fugitives today!" she bragged, playfully punching air.

Lee whooped. "Damn right we did! Hey, Short Stuff, did ya see me fight? I bet ya liked seeing me dominate others like that!"

Eddy scoffed. "As if! We had a perfectly good scam going. Besides, I knew you'd beat them up anyway. What's the point in worrying?" he said, scowling as usual.

Lee, however, didn't take his response as an insult. "You knew I'd win? Aww, I knew you liked me! You think I'm strong." she cooed, flirtatiously posing with the firmer body and hint of muscles that her prison-induced weightlifting hobby had granted her.

Eddy gagged but didn't look away. "Just because I know your tough doesn't mean I like ya that way! The hell are you on?!"

"I know ya like your women tough! Who else can handle your natural machismo?" Lee asked with a grin.

"I like my women SANE, for one thing!" Eddy snapped back. For once, Lee scowled this time. Apparently, he hit a nerve.

"I wish you'd stop going on about the 'crazy' thing. So we did some things… That was then!" Lee argued, no longer posing. As stubborn as Lee can be, she did feel a bit guilty about being so forceful toward the height-challenged loudmouth. Naturally, she had yet to formally apologize, due to their argumentative demeanors. However, that didn't stop her from trying to subtly implying that she's trying to change. In her own way, of course. Nobody tells Lee Kanker what to think and feel, after all…

Not to mention, the fact that she continues to flirt with Eddy, despite wanting to try a different approach with him. She saw nothing wrong with being flirtatious, as she figured they've known each other long enough to where that can be a 'thing' they'd have, despite all that happened. Sort of like how some friends rip on each other, except for the whole romantic feelings part that she has.

"Of course that was then! Because you're in jail now and can't force your hugs and kisses on me now! Otherwise, you'd still be doing that!" Eddy countered, crossing his arms.

"Y'know, for someone who claims he's 'free' from my 'evil' clutches, you seem to be stuck on our past. I'm trying to drop it, change things, and serve my time here. It's not easy being in here, ya know… Not a lot of things to do, jackoffs attacking us, boredom, crap food, and so on. You think I need you yappin' at me about what we did?" Lee asked, her own arms in a likewise position as the two glared at each other.

"Now ya know a little of how WE felt about YOUR persistence! You're in jail! It's your fault! You're in jail! It's your fault! You're in jail! It's your fault! I could go on if you really don't want me to!" Eddy yelled in his naturally loud voice, making funny faces at her while he was taunting. His jeering was cut short however by a fed-up prodigy…

"EDDY! I strongly suggest you take a moment or two to think deeply about what you're saying. Your behavior is hardly a healthy incentive for a proper change of heart and rehabilitation. You keep provoking Lee about her past misdeeds and you'll eventually become as inanely repugnant and irredeemable as your brutish brother." Edd warned as he and Marie both had disapproving looks. Ed and May, meanwhile, seemed to be in their own little world, chatting.

Eddy fumed. "Don't bring him up, you walking thesaurus!" His jumping up and down while complaining only served to emphasize his lack of height.

"Then stop whining about what we did, ya little snot-rag." Marie snapped before Double D could respond. "Ooh, look at me! I'm Eddy! I got my ass slammed into the side of a whale-shaped trailer repeatedly by my own brother!" Marie did a strikingly good impression of the little con-artist, if a bit nasally.

"Stop it!" Eddy whined.

Marie continued her impression. "I'm so short because even my genetics want to remind me that I'm always the LITTLE brother compared to him!"

"Cut it out, Marie!" His face was turning red from anger, not sure what he was going to do.

"Um… Marie? I think that's quite enough…" Double D politely suggested. Marie took his idea and promptly ignored it.

"I learned how to be macho and cool from my big brother, even though he ended up kicking my ass. This loud and proud persona is the only way I know how to be because my role model abandoned me! My room even shows how cool I am, even though it's obviously not the '70's anymore! I'm soooooo coooooool!" Marie emphasized how she dragged out the last sentence by leaning slightly and doing the finger-gun 'Yo, what's up!' kinda gesture toward Eddy.

"ALRIGHT! I GET IT!" Eddy exploded with enough vocal force to blow Marie's hair back and almost caused Double D to lose his hat. He turned to Lee who was still scowling disappointedly at him. "I'm only gonna say this once, so listen up! ….I'm…. grr…. I'm…! Dammit…. I'M SORRY, OKAY!?"

"That wasn't so hard, now was it?" Edd asked in a pleased tone, although Marie was fairly sure her Muffin was being sarcastic. The little twerp did deserve some ribbing for picking on her sister, after all.

Lee's familiar predatory smirk appeared once again. "Eh, it's alright, Short Stuff. I ain't too good at the apologizin' thing either. Comes with being the head child, what with our 'rents being three runaway dads and a ma who's only around like half the time. Somebody had to step up and help us raise ourselves and I take pride in my leadership."

"Hah. By leadership, she mostly means winnin' most of the fights amongst ourselves." Marie snorted, although the grin was a giveaway to Lee that the bluenette meant that as a good-natured jest. Even though it was true…

Eddy appeared to be thoughtful. "Huh… Guess I see your point. My folks sometimes get too into their work or each other to pay attention to me. And then that asshole that won't be mentioned again decided to up and leave, so that just left me to just do my thing here with the guys. Is what it is now, huh?"

"Whatever." Lee answered, trying to pass herself off as not caring much. Although the gentle tone of that one-word response indicated otherwise. Even Eddy seemed to notice that.

"Uh, yeah… Whatever. Heh… So… uh, what now?" he asked, the conversation reaching an awkward checkpoint. What do you chat about right after ceasing an argument with an ex-enemy anyway?

"I'm not gonna tell ya to do anything, as we both know you might just take that as a challenge. However, I will simply request that you come visit me more often. We'll talk. JUST talk. Get ta know each other better, ya know? A chance is all I ask for. And please don't make me beg…" Lee said, trying to put on her own air of machismo as she made her request. As much as it bothered her own sense of pride, perhaps it was time to compromise instead of merely butting heads again.

"Eh, who'd even like to see you beg…?" Eddy scoffed, even though his subdued voice told the others that he didn't mean that insult. It was his own way of accepting her request while attempting to keep his own pride. Double D groaned at this, believing that Eddy and Lee's friendship (much less, an actual relationship) would be an unusual one that would most likely drive the young prodigy up a wall.

"Come by tomorrow and ya can tell me about your latest scams, Eddy. I'd like to hear about those." Lee simply said with a small smile. Eddy was surprised that she didn't make that order sound like she was romantically inviting him over, for once. Not to mention, the idea that she honestly wanted to listen to him brag… Maybe it wouldn't hurt to have Lee be a sort of sounding board for potential scam ideas. If she proved herself, of course…

"Yeah… Sure thing, Lee." Eddy answered, his sly grin coming back. He was comforted by the fact that he could always just leave at the first sign of aggressive flirting, the Visitors' Room being what it was.

"Alright, kids. I think it's about time we started cleaning up around here." the warden interjected, having given his saviors plenty of time to talk to the boys outside who were apparently some sort of friends of theirs. Ed and May were, for whatever reason, sitting down like dogs, watching each other through the fence that separated them and panting. When the warden said that their time was up, both of the dopey teens started whimpering.

"Do I even want to know…?" Edd asked Marie as they saw the weird spectacle before them.

"Just be glad we're all bonding, Muffin." the bluenette replied, shaking her head at her sister's strange behavior. "Either way, chief's got a point. I'm thinkin' we probably have to check on the staff, help get all these losers back to their cells, and clean up whatever damage they did to the joint. I'd hate to end up cleaning the Mess Hall. Guaranteed that place got wrecked!" Marie chuckled at the idea. Jailbreaks do make for interesting TV or movie entertainment, but there's a good reason why the aftermath isn't shown as much. Plenty of boring clean-up work to do.

Edd looked aghast. "Oh my… Hardly a reward for helping to stop an unjust mass exodus, I'm sure. Umm… Do you think it'd be alright if—"

"HEY, SOCKHEAD! Don't tell me you're trying to volunteer us to help with cleanup duty! Didn't you do enough by dragging us here!?" Eddy yelped, instantly realizing what Edd was about to do. If it's one thing Eddy still couldn't stand, it was being made to do manual labor.

"I think Eddy has a point, Double D. Although, obviously for the wrong reasons…" Marie said, snickering at Eddy's typical anti-work tendencies. "We do have an entire squad of police right by you guys that could come in and help deal with the inmates at least and I'm sure an ambulance will get called in soon for anybody that got injured here. Still, you're too kind, trying to spare me from all that hard work. I think we'll survive." Her genuine smile somehow made Edd feel… happy? Proud? He felt something… Eddy's earlier accusations couldn't be true. She was a friend. Someone he was beginning to really enjoy talking with, sure. But as a good friend.

Eddy, on the other hand, noticed the dopey smile on Edd's face, just as dopey as the one the blue-haired punk was sporting. He knew it… The Sockhead had caught feelings. Leave it to the man of science, books, and logic to be slow on the concept of falling in love with someone. Or maybe the con-artist wasn't the only one with reservations about how the Kankers used to treat the Eds… Once burned, twice shy. That was how that phrase went, right?

A part of Eddy wanted to use this to get back at Edd for butting in on his argument with Lee, perhaps by ribbing on the two of them for how sappy they look at the moment. But he knew better… Eddy got a decent outcome out of this with a chance to bury the hatchet with Lee, one way or another. If Edd wants to have his very own prison bitch, that's his own situation to deal with. That wouldn't stop Eddy from picking on him later, though!

-That evening-

Marie finally got to report back to her cell after a grueling rest of the day helping out with getting things back to normal. Thankfully, hers was one of the cells that were left untouched by the attempted uprising, which was good news for her when it came to a certain treasured gift she had, hidden between her pillow and pillow case. As if she could hide it anywhere else in the intentionally spartan cell… Emptiness of the cell aside, she mused on what she deemed the oddest part of the whole cleanup effort: Trying to separate Ed and May.

" _But we were chatting, Lee!" May protested as Lee and Marie had to forcibly pick her up._

" _Chatting? You two were starin' at each other with yer tongues hanging out. It was getting kinda creepy, even for us!" Lee retorted, trying to keep her grip on the squirming blonde._

" _We were just doing a doggy staring contest…" May pouted._

" _I think this might be a case where the chase was more satisfying than the actual catch…" Marie quipped as she carried May's legs._

" _Eh, let it be, Marie. At least that's not as strange as the time we found out why my biological dad decided to ditch Ma…" Lee quipped._

 _-Flashback-_

 _It was the previous summer when the Kankers—_

Marie shook her head rapidly, dispelling the image from her mind. A flashback within a flashback? She had heard of an incident where the Eds nearly lost their minds over something like that happening. Something about a vortex of flashbacks. Peach Creek certainly was a strange area to live in… She shrugged to herself as she withdrew her treasured sketchbook from the pillow, deciding to try and sketch funny pictures involving prison riots and jailbreaks.

It was funny how the prison seemed almost empty now, despite nobody escaping. (Plank didn't really count. Or did he….?) Maybe it was the fact that a good chunk of the inmates were still knocked out or too sore to do anything. It might've also had something to do with how the Kankers would most likely be labeled as 'narcs' now, for helping the authorities prevent their escape. It most likely didn't matter if their main reason for stopping the jailbreak was just because a few had the nerve to try knocking them out. There would probably be a lot more attacks on them from now on… Good thing they're Kankers!

But to her, all that mattered little in comparison to how her Oven Mitt was genuinely worried about her when he heard of the prison break. Timid, meek Double D, willing to come all the way to the scene of the riot, just to make sure she was unharmed. She figured that he had to have considered the possibility that the rioters might have gotten through the main gate and he would've ran right into certain doom or some other dangerous scenario… Of course, he had to have. It's Double D, the Brainiac!

Putting Eddy's brief jab from earlier about Edd 'liking her' aside, just the fact that he came over anyway made her smile when she thought about it. Considering everything, she decided to consider it good progress in their blooming friendship. Perhaps more… She had observed that goofy-lookin' smile he had put on when she thanked him for his offer to help with the clean-up effort. It was definitely not like the smile he has whenever he's generally happy with a scientific discovery or the completion of another scam-based invention. She knows that smile all too well from her time stalking him… No, this smile was different.

His next official visit (whenever the warden decided to open the prison to visitors again) would definitely be an interesting one if she chose to question him about feelings. Maybe… She didn't want to press the issue and end up reminding him of her old ways. She had to play it cool. Just being herself seemed to have worked fine for her so far. Why jump the gun?

She eventually completed a sketch, which was of the Kanker Sisters as superheroes, wrangling up crazed prisoners at a wrecked prison. She wasn't sure why she drew herself wearing an attire similar to DC's Power Girl, infamous 'boob window' and all. It wasn't as if she had the giant Double D's (pun fully intended) to pull the look off… But there it was. Lee had been drawn to look similar to Black Widow from The Avengers, mostly because they're both redheads. May costume was an easy pick. Marvel's Squirrel Girl! Screw the copyright infringements or whatever Lee was babbling about earlier…

After putting the finishing touches on her latest piece, she looked fondly upon her work. She considered herself to be improving as an artist already. Closing her sketchbook, she nestled it back inside her pillow and made herself as comfortable as the standard prison-issue cot of a bed allowed her to be. Tomorrow was another day…

-A couple of hours earlier, back in the cul-de-sac…-

"MY MEME STAND!" Eddy shrieked as he ran over to the in-progress stand that the Eds had left behind in their haste. It was still in a pile, just as Eddy had left it…

"If I recall, you gave the stand a good, swift kick before you followed us, Eddy…" Edd reminded him with a sigh. If only Eddy would stop with these impulsive decisions that ended up creating more work than actual progress…

"Not that part! THAT!" Eddy yelled, pointing at the stand's sign. It had apparently been replaced…. by a horrible drawing of Spongebob Squarepants bending over toward them in a mocking tone with a caption of 'eD, EdD n Ed-MemE: DaNK mEmeS FoR cAsH!'.

"We've been meme'd!" Eddy exclaimed. Ed, naturally, didn't really care, although not by intention. He was busy imitating the position of the mocking Spongebob, chuckling all the way. Edd, however, was merely unimpressed. If he had to guess at a culprit, the top two suspects he would come up with would be Sarah or Kevin, both of which still take personal amusement at messing with the Eds, despite the incident at Mondo-A-Go-Go. At least it wasn't a full-on grudge anymore…

"Frankly, I don't see what the bother is. The stand's already a mess, the scam itself wasn't exactly the best idea, and the day's over anyway. So somebody had some leisure at our expense. There's always tomorrow, Eddy." Edd said in a reassuring manner, personally glad that the half-baked scam most likely wouldn't happen.

"Yeah, yeah… C'mon, guys. Hey, Lumpy, grab that busted pile of wood and come with us!" Eddy ordered, making use of the oaf's unusual strength.

Tomorrow would indeed be another day.

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:** Man, I'm on a roll with this! Although, I think that flow of creativity might be slowing down again… Still, this is probably the fastest I've typed up 5 chapters of something. Way to go, me! So, yeah, if there's a story that constantly involves prison, there's naturally going to be a jailbreak chapter. It's almost like one of those unspoken rules, man… Heh.

Reference Footnotes:

1\. "Sublime Master Thief" is referring to a wrestler from New Japan Pro-Wrestling. One named Toru Yano. And he's definitely what Eddy would be like if he was a Japanese wrestler. He comes out trying to peddle bootleg DVDs to audience members as he heads to the ring. Then, he has the ring announcer refer to him as a 'big time producer' (Yeah, right…). And, when the fight begins, he uses every cheap trick in the book to try and avoid getting hurt. Poking the eyes, a "free DVD" (which ends up being just salt inside which is flung into the opponent's eyes when opened), taking off the turnbuckle pads to expose the solid metal beneath, using said turnbuckle pad as a weapon, punching the opponent's balls, using tape to tie up opponent's legs, all sorts of tricks… Definitely a panicked Eddy, alright! Yano does sometimes pull off a surprise victory here and there, so it's not like he's completely useless. Kinda like how the Eds do have that rare occasion where they succeed at getting jawbreakers.

2\. I felt I had to throw in at least part of the Team Rocket intro speech from Pokemon. Just kinda seem to work for the situation at hand, especially with the Kankers messing it up. They do make a good point, though. Why would the trouble only be double if Jessie and James have their talking Meowth as their third member? Wouldn't it be triple, technically? But I guess that'd mess with the rhyme of their intro.

3\. Going back to wrestling references, this refers to a signature attack of New Japan wrestler, Kenny Omega. The move in question is called the V-Trigger (which is, in itself, a video game reference). It's a hard high knee to the face, with momentum built from a bit of a running start. But, I had Lee play off the reputation of loose trailer women, due to how the Kankers usually are in the show… What are some of them unfortunately stereotyped for? STDs. So, VD-Trigger! Get it? VD?

I guess I went a tad heavy with the wrestling references (such as the Superkick Party that the Kankers gave the leader of the escapees to shut her up). I apologize if that bothered some people that aren't fans. Was the fighting at least entertaining anyway?

Also, was the amount of 4th wall breaking in this chapter an acceptable amount? I mean, Ed, Edd n Eddy did have a fair number of instances where it acknowledged that it was indeed a TV show, but it's not like it's Deadpool, where the 4th wall is not only broken but no longer existing. So, did I do ok here or did I Deadpool it a bit too hard?

I would do my usual Reader Review Replies, but there doesn't seem to be anything to really answer for the moment, so I'll settle for a gracious Thank You to everybody that decided to drop a review and I hope everyone enjoyed this one. Feel free to keep telling me what you think.


	6. Unchain-Ed Kankers

I can't believe it's been a little over a year since the last chapter I posted of this story. Between a couple of other stories, work, other hobbies, social life, and other occurrences, I guess things have added up. Well, hopefully the year away hasn't diminished my creativity with this story. But that's what your reviews will tell me, people. Anyways, I hope you enjoy the latest chapter involving the Eds and the Kankers.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Chapter 6: Unchain-Ed Kankers

Over the course of a week since the attempted jailbreak, the treasured possession that was Marie's sketchbook was used a tick more often. Drawing after drawing filled the pages whenever she took the time to occupy herself with her hobby. One was of herself and Edd, clad in fancy-looking medieval armor and equipped with swords and shields… Well, Marie was the one equipped with a sword and shield. Keeping true to his nature, Marie drew Medieval Edd clubbing an enemy with a thick textbook.

Another drawing portrayed all three Kankers playing a round of basketball against Kevin, Rolf, and little Sarah. Marie chose to depict herself as having slam-dunked the ball so hard through the hoop that the glass backboard shattered, NBA Jam style. (She nixed the idea of drawing Ed in the background saying "Boomshakalaka", however…)

The next picture was clearly a throwback to her former demeanor as she drew herself and Edd in a slow dance, with large hearts surrounding it, each with a different variation of proclaiming their relationship written in them. ("Edd + Marie", "Mrs. Marie Vincent", even "Mr. Edd Kanker"…) After finishing it, she wondered why she even bothered with that one, as nice an idea as the drawing was. Perhaps she shouldn't show Edd that one on his next visit…

Things turned back to the random with the next drawing, which was of Kevin sprawled out and unconscious on the ground, his bike a bent mess beside him. For whatever reason, Eddy was in the background yelling "All you had to do was follow the train, Shovel Chin!"…

The following one was of Lee dressed up in clown makeup and a raggedy clown outfit, holding a balloon… Lee's red hair made it easy to depict her as a female version of Pennywise from It, even though Marie kept Lee's usual eye-covering hairstyle on her just to make the drawing seem comical.

After that was a depiction of Peach Creek being terrorized by a giant, mutated Ed, the only other sign of inhumanity aside from the height being that his face was bizarre, his eyes wide and his mouth twisted into a permanent, lipless grin of sharp teeth… Imagining the often-disgusting Ed as such a beast made Marie not want to watch Attack On Titan for a while, even if she did have access to a TV or internet.

Naturally, there was another reason for the spike in drawings, other than a burst of creativity. Marie was locked up in Solitary Confinement. It was odd that a juvie facility would have such a feature that was often reserved for adult maximum security prisons, but considering that riot that the Kankers recently helped stop, there seemed to be a good reason for it… However, in this case, the Warden had the Kankers locked up for their own protection, as their fellow inmates were obviously angry that they "went all narc" on all of them. At least the Warden left the lights on for them, which obviously helped Marie be able to draw. The sisters each had their own cell.

Sometimes, if Marie listened carefully, she thought she could hear the expressed rage of the other juvie inmates, yelling and screaming. A natural reaction to all their sentences being drastically increased, due to their attempted escape… Nonetheless, she didn't particularly like the feeling of being entrenched deep within increasingly hostile territory. This moment right now was one of those times where she could faintly hear them, seemingly off in the distance but mostly muffled by the thick walls and door. Funny how she could even hear them at all… Must be the acoustics of this place…

A clanking noise from the door jarred her out of her thoughts as the rectangular peephole was slid open and someone looked in. Then, a familiar voice was heard… "May, rip this door!"

After the jangling of keys and the turn of a thick lock, the door was shoved open, revealing Marie's sisters. Marie smirked.

"What're you doin' here?" she asked, shutting her sketchbook and standing up.

"Getting you out. Here, put this on. You'll need it." Lee replied, a grin on her face as she tossed down a duffel bag. Marie immediately went over and opened the bag, revealing her normal outfit, something she hadn't seen for months. She then realized that Lee and May were wearing their own clothes, instead of the prison garb.

"Heh… You could get into a lot of trouble for doin' this." Marie quipped, immediately disrobing the accursed prison uniform without a care in the world that her sisters could see her nude. As much as Marie wanted to play things by the book these days, that uncomfortable uniform just had to go. (And the less said about the facility's choice of undergarments, the better. Hence, Marie always going commando underneath the garb…)

"Not anymore. Things have changed." Lee cryptically said, not bothering to turn away. It wasn't the first time she'd seen the bluenette in her natural glory, of course. Besides, Marie was quick to start putting on her own clothes, so why bother? "We better go."

"What about the other prisoners? We can't just waltz out to the exercise yard like nothing happened." Marie questioned, pulling her shirt on to finish dressing.

"We're gone. Warden pardoned all three of us." Lee said with a serious tone, but an excited grin.

Marie paused a moment. Pardoned? Just like that? "Is that right…" she mused aloud.

"Welcome back to the cul-de-sac, Sister." Lee declared. May happily giggled, clapping to herself.

"Well, shit…" ( **1** ) Marie said with a yellow-toothed grin, finally allowing the sense of freedom to wash over her. They were going to be free again. A second chance to have a relatively normal teenage life… and to maybe make some things right with some boys they were quite familiar with.

For once, Edd wasn't inclined to taking part in Eddy's latest scheme. While the shortest of the Eds seemed to be focused on a cash-grabbing scheme based on the Uber transportation app, the genius of the trio was taking a day at home to do whatever he wanted. In this case, it was studying for the next big test at school. Even though he knew the content like the back of his hand, it was never a bad idea to refresh one's memory. Especially since it helped him try to get his mind off a certain blue-haired girl.

Something about what happened at that prison riot along with their conversation afterward… He was growing increasingly comfortable with her, which both comforted him because of the progress that the Kanker Sisters had shown and worried him because of that stubborn part of his own mind that would drag up the past. He knew that his concern was ridiculous by now. Why would the Kankers actually stop an escape attempt if they hadn't changed at all?

So he took to trying to not think about it. No thoughts of the new Marie means no worries about the old Marie. Plausible enough on paper. In practice, however… It only took an hour until he started absently doodling little pictures around his notes, almost like Marie drawing in her sketchbook. Failure already… Never did he think he'd do something so absent-minded to his perfectly-organized school notes. Grumbling as he went about erasing his random doodles, he failed to notice a figure appearing outside his window, despite his room being on the second floor of the house.

The figure knocked on the window, startling the flustered genius into accidentally dragging his eraser hard on the notebook paper, causing the paper to be pushed and somewhat crumpled against the coils of the notebook. A somewhat high-pitched brief shriek accompanied his flinch, which was comically typical for Edd. With reflexes born of fright, he turned to his window, only to encounter the very being that had been confidently invading his thought processes as of late.

Marie Kanker.

But how did she end up here? Puzzled and more than a little worried, he gingerly approached the window and slowly opened it. The only thing that slightly calmed his tense nerves was that she was smiling that non-threatening, genuine smile that she had shown for him as of their newfound friendship.

"Surprise, surprise, Muffin. Got some good news for ya!" Marie said, taking the initiative and climbing into his room, causing him to back up to give her space, despite his annoyance at the bluenette blatantly inviting herself in. She may be a friend now, but there was still a place for common manners, for Einstein's sake. Marie lightly tossed a duffel bag over toward Double D's bed.

"I assume it has something to do with the fact that you are here in my room now?" Edd guessed, playing along. That much was quite obvious.

"Yup. That warden decided to pardon us! Ain't that wonderful!?" Marie asked, a little excited. It was like the reality of that fact was still trying to sink into the girl.

"Oh. Really? That seems like an exceedingly generous thing for him to do to thank you for foiling that mass escape attempt." Edd replied. He was relieved that the Kankers didn't decide to break out on their own anyway.

"Actually, according to him, it was for our own good. The other prisoners were startin' to grow a little too hostile about us… Warden didn't want us shanked in the showers or somethin'. Guess that's the kind of mood to expect when all their sentences got doubled, huh?" Marie casually explained, totally not concerned about the possibility of prison murder.

Edd shivered at the thought, a low "Good Lord" uttered. Marie noticed his reaction and snickered. "Aw, relax, Oven Mitt. No need to worry about any harm coming to this merry trio. I wonder if I should point out the fact that you're actually worrying about my well-being…" The sudden look of realization on Edd's face was all she needed. "Whoops, too late. You're so fun to tease, Stud Muffin."

"Ahem… Speaking of which, if you're here now and all three of you are indeed cleared of all charges and unleashed from confinement, I suppose that means…" he trailed off, hesitant to finish the thought that had just occurred to him.

"I'd give it about three more seconds." Marie replied. Raising a hand, she gestured three fingers and counted down…

Just when the last finger curled up to make a clenched fist, a familiar grating scream bellowed through the cul-de-sac, soon followed by arguing. Marie crept to the window to get a better reception of a certain con-artist's shock…

"Who the hell would pardon you lousy Kankers?! Can't you just leave me alone?! Why am I the first place you even think of going to after what happened anyway?! Just because we're kinda talkin' doesn't mean we're steady, trailer princess! Arrgh!"

It was then that Edd did himself a favor and closed the window, despite a part of him still preferring Marie to be relatively elsewhere. The bluenette chuckled.

"Oh, that Eddy. I must say you're doing vastly better than he is at getting used to us." Marie said, her familiar smirk coming to her like second nature.

Edd fidgeted slightly, the reality of having a girl in his room beginning to set on him. "That's an amusing twist of words, considering what has been our situation for a while. But I must concur. I do hope he won't cause a disturbance to the neighborhood. Oh, good Lord, I definitely hope his parents aren't home right now! If she were to be caught in another compromising scenario…!"

Marie didn't seem as concerned about potential disaster as her intended beau was, however. "Eh, you know how things kinda seem to work out around here. Well, most of the time anyway… His 'rents are probably still at work or something."

"That may be true, but still, perchance you could be guilty by association if such luck fails to present itself? Especially since you are currently in my presence." Edd theorized, his fidgeting about the opposite gender quickly giving way to logical concern over Eddy's current predicament.

"Ooh, do I detect a motive of keeping me free, Oven Mitt? Sounds like somebody's thinking of somebody as someone worth keeping around." Marie slyly phrased, throwing herself on Double D's professionally-made bed and making herself comfortable.

"Well, I…. uh… It just wouldn't be fair to be pardoned only to be immediately sent back over a misunderstanding, that's all. You did nothing wrong as of this visit." Edd managed to point out after a brief moment of being caught off-guard.

"Oh, you go ahead and keep playing hard-to-get, Double-Dreamboat. Meanwhile, I did bring my stuff. Would you like to see my sketchbook? I gotta say that Solitary Confinement does bring out the creative side sometimes. Probably because there's nothing to do…" Marie offered as she used her foot to hook the strap of the duffel bag so she could lazily kick it up to her.

"Well, I guess there's no harm. I do admit that I enjoy your art. Wait, did you say Solitary Confinement…?" Edd asked, just realizing what she had said.

"I'll tell ya all about it…"

And so, for a couple of hours, Marie and Edd talked. At first, the topic was her recent sketches, with Edd reacting and critiquing her work. The bluenette was pleased to hear that Double D believed her art style to be improving. She was particularly amused by his startled reaction to her "giant monster Ed" drawing as he claimed afterward that he was reminded of that time Ed had a pebble in his shoe. She wasn't sure why simply having a little pebble in a shoe would result in something so terrifying, but considering the all-around strangeness of the big lummox, she wouldn't doubt her dreamboat's claims.

After her personal art exhibition, Marie elaborated on what had occurred in prison after the Kankers' big fight, describing the experience of Solitary Confinement and the reasoning behind it as being "caught between sheer boredom and certain death". Edd could definitely feel for her circumstances, as he probably would've chosen boredom as well. In turn, the young genius regaled her with what he knew of the latest happenings of the cul-de-sac, which wasn't much. Marie rolled her eyes as he told her of one incident the previous day where Sarah had actually stopped by, claiming to have needed to get away from the presence of her brother. 'Yeah, right…' Marie thought cynically, having not forgotten the tempestuous redhead's subtle crush on Double D.

Eventually, the conversation turned to a certain topic as they both realized that time was marching on…

"So, Marie…. Um… What're you going to do now? I'm assuming that your mother might still be quite upset with you three?" Edd asked, curious as to how the girls' homecoming might turn out.

"Ya can bank on it, Muffin. It's partly why I came straight here instead of goin' home. She'll probably think we're fugitives or somethin'. Ugh… That woman…" Marie said, trailing off into grumbling to herself about the situation. Edd was just about to say something when Marie interrupted. "Ah ha! I think I got it! Oven Mitt, you're very well-spoken, yeah? Maybe you can talk some sense into ol' Mama, tell her that we were pardoned and shit! She may be stubborn as hell, but she's not unbeatable. Especially not verbally against a logical bookworm like yourself! It'll totally work."

Edd was aghast at the idea. "Wait, ME?! Talk to your mother? But… we Eds never even met your mother before! What'll I even say? How would she know that you didn't forcibly coerce me into, as they say, putting in a good word for you? Not to mention, speaking of force, I am assuming from our recent conversations that she isn't above physically tossing me off your property should the attempt at conversation fail…" The prodigy fidgeted uncertainly with panic before finally settling on pulling his hat down over his face.

Marie chuckled at her flailing crush's panic. "Silly, I'm not asking you to go alone. We'll go together, you 'n' me. If things get rough, I'll help ya out. Don't forget that we tamed a prison riot. I ain't lettin' anything happen to ya." Even after the various prison visits and the progress the duo made in establishing a real friendship, it still felt surreal for Edd to hear Marie Kanker of all people promise protection. Even more so with the thought of Marie defending him from her own mother. Despite all that, the Kankers do need a home…

"Well… um… I suppose it wouldn't hurt to try, at least. It would bother me to no end if you and your sisters were homeless. Foraging for food, sleeping on park benches or, even worse, the filthy ground, left to the mercy of whatever danger might occur in this unruly world… It just shouldn't be." Edd declared, his imagination already picturing several potential scenarios that the three sisters could find themselves in. Most of his imaginings didn't end well.

"Not like the trailer park's much better, to be honest. Still, it's where our stuff is and it's a roof over our head." Marie bluntly stated, demonstrating once again the stark difference in the pair's vocal mannerisms. She got up off of Edd's bed and walked back to the window. "Shall we get going then? No time like the present, right, Oven Mitt?"

"Uh, if we must. But might I persuade you to accompany me through the front door instead?" Edd asked, just as she grabbed the edge of the window to open it back up. Marie paused and looked at him, a smirk slowly growing on her face again.

"Ah, because this way would be quite 'impolite', right? Hmm… I'm assuming that your 'rents aren't around today?" Marie snickered, getting a quiet nod in response. "Figured as much. Otherwise, I bet you'd just have me meet you outside or something. Alright then, let's go. Might as well take a little look around your place on our way out. Heh…"

Edd rolled his eyes at the idea of Marie twisting things to suit her more familiar intent, despite their new friendship. Some things would never change. Opening the door, the Genius and the Punk were both unsurprised to once again hear Eddy hollering from somewhere in the cul-de-sac, this time with Lee's abrasive voice adding to the noise. Just what everyone needed, another argument involving Eddy the human megaphone…

"Guess the other kids know we're back by now." Marie sardonically guessed with a glare in the direction of the braying voices.

"I'll admit that this isn't the best way to publicly announce your presence. But if I guess correctly, Eddy's voice should be tiring out any minute now after so much consistent yelling." Edd replied, having recalled a couple of other times that Eddy had yelled quite a lot after particularly embarrassing failures.

"SO WHAT IF YOU LIKE HOW I DRESS?! WHO SAID WE COULD START A CIVIL CONVERSATION?!"

"I DID, SHORT STUFF! I'M TIRED OF ALL THIS YELLIN'!"

"I'M NOT SHORT!"

"I KNOW! CAN'T A GIRL LIKE A SHORT GUY FOR ONCE?! IF YOUR TEMPER ABOUT THAT IS PART OF ANOTHER THING YOU GOT IN YOUR HEAD FROM YOUR DUMBASS BROTHER, I SWEAR…!"

"LEE, SHUT UP! I JUST DON'T LIKE BEING SHORT!"

"MARIE SAYS THAT DOUBLE D WOULD CALL THAT… uhh… what's that called again…? OH YEAH, A NEAPOLITAN COMPLEX!"

"WHAT'S ICE CREAM GOT TO DO WITH ANYTHING?!"

"WHO'S TALKING ICE CREAM, NEAPOLITAN?!"

Edd cringed. "Ugh, Napoleon, Lee. Napoleon!" he chided, despite knowing that the arguing rivals were too far to hear him. "I find myself partially astounded that she even knows that much about mental complexes. No offense, of course."

"None taken, Oven Mitt. I usually end up being the one to help the three of us squeak by in school. Lee knows some stuff, but you know how she is. Not like I'm much smarter, though. I'm certainly not on your level of smarts." Marie admitted, actually sounding modest about it as the pair started their trek to the trailer park.

"Oh, don't be silly, Marie. While it is true that being an intellectual such as myself does seem somewhat easier for me than it is for others, it's not impossible for you to find subjects in academia that you can thrive in. But I grant you the fact that some things are a challenge, even to myself." Edd assured her.

"Pfft… School… Still don't know why anybody would actually like that kinda thing. But I get that ya gotta learn stuff to get goin' in life, kinda like how my art takes practice." Marie grumbled.

"I wonder… Who's worse about complaining about school, Eddy or Lee?" Edd asked with a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Gotta be that dwarf of yours, hands down. She may hate all that lecturin' from teachers, but Lee knows that we Kankers gotta at least get a high school education. Mama may be a stubborn ol' bat, but she has a point. Our family's gotta make a better life than some trailer in the slums somehow." Marie said, suddenly becoming relatively serious. As much as prison life cramped her style, the prospect of living in a trailer until a ripe old age didn't sit well with Marie, nor either of the other Kanker sisters.

Edd noticed the sobering tone of her statement. Once again, he is reminded that there is indeed more to the formerly twisted sisters than just their past crimes of passion. "Well, if you are as determined about that as you are with us starting over on the right foot, I'm certain you three will find your way to a better home and a better adulthood." Edd assured her the best he could.

"Thanks for the support, Oven Mitt… That means a lot, comin' from you. Hmm… Ya know, this ain't so bad, just talkin' all civil-like, neither of us in prison, nobody runnin' from anybody. A lot less effort to start chattin', for one thing." Marie mused as they passed into the outskirts of the neighborhood and the familiar pathway to the trailer park.

"Indeed so. I imagine you feel quite liberated in general for the ability to travel around from place to place again." Edd replied, noting Marie's cheerful demeanor as she took in the fresh air and surroundings, almost as if she had an extra spring in her step. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure that the Kankers would be beyond pleased to be free again, but it was certainly a sight for Edd to behold. A happy Marie, no prison blues getting her down, no crazed intent on capturing the brainy teen, nothing at all to annoy her at the moment… Edd was certain he'd never seen the bluenette in such a pleasant state, not counting the brief times with his prison visits that he did genuinely cheer her up.

"Double D, you have no idea how it feels right now. I'm actually seeing the ol' neighborhood again. Just walking around feels great now. No more drab gray prison walls for this bitch!" Marie whooped, raising a fist in the air, much to Double D's slight awkwardness toward her public display.

"I do wish you would cease referring to yourself in such a way…" Edd muttered.

"Ehh, it's nothin' to worry over, Double D. I know what I was to ya before… No reason to cover that up, ya know? Own my mistakes and try to learn from it. That would be good, yeah?" Marie explained, grinning.

"While that is true, must you be vulgar about it…?" Edd retorted.

Marie sighed, her grin downplayed into a smirk. "Trust me, our mama can be a lot worse. Oh, don't be silly." she softly chided, noticing him tense up about her mother. "But since you seem to care so much these days, I'll try not to badmouth myself, okay?" The sock-headed member of the Eds knew she was trying to get a rise out of him again by pointing out how things are different compared to their past, but at this point, it was useless to deny her claim. He simply nodded to her question. At least he got her to stop calling herself derogatory names.

After a few minutes of just enjoying the relatively fresh air, they came across the broken-down part of the neighborhood that is the trailer park. A familiar twinge of fear ran down Edd's spine as he remembered the numerous occurrences that came from entering this particular domain, most of them involving the girl next to him. But he also couldn't help feeling appalled again that people would live in such filthy, germ-ridden, cramped housing. He chalked that up to his need for cleanliness talking, as he did realize that some adults weren't the most fortunate with wealth and such homes were all they could afford to rent or purchase. Marie, having noticed his hesitation, lightly took his arm and started the walk toward her family's trailer.

His apprehension about the Kanker matriarch only grew as they got closer to a certain trailer. He would almost consider it a personal victory if the worst thing that happened was that Marie's mother slammed the door in their faces after five seconds. The next thing he knew, Marie was pounding on the door with a fist. By the time Edd tried to stop her from further rudeness, the door was flung open and a pudgy older woman bellowed "WHAAAAAT?!", clearly agitated from Marie's loud knocking.

"Guess who's free, Maw." Marie calmly replied, well aware of her dreamboat hiding behind her. She understood his reaction, as her mother was definitely intimidating when angry.

As Marie expected, the sour matron's temper grew worse. "Oh, so getting yourselves locked up wasn't enough, eh? You had to go and break outta the klink too? How dare you show your face here! I told you that you were done! I expected a lot better from you girls and you do this to me! I may have had my share of bad times but at least I don't have a criminal record! Now leave!"

Marie grunted in annoyance, despite having known that her mother would jump to such conclusions. "Ugh, first of all, we didn't break out. We were pardoned."

Her mother let out a single laugh of disdain. "Don't act like I didn't hear word of a riot at your prison, Marie. You got out, didn't you? Well, I ain't gonna harbor any damn fugitives here, so you can tell your sisters the same and go somewhere else!"

"No, mother… We really were pardoned. We stopped that riot and saved the warden's life, so he let us go. You think I'd be dumb enough to come here if I was a fugitive?! It's the first place cops would look and we all know it!" Marie snapped back.

"It doesn't change the fact that you three proved to be a disappointment. Getting yourselves arrested and for what? Some dick?!"

"LIKE YOU'RE ONE TO TALK, MAW! WHERE'S OUR DADS AT?! OH, THAT'S RIGHT, THEY ALL RAN OFF AS SOON AS YOU GOT PREGGERS, EVERY TIME! SOME HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS THOSE ARE! WHAT'D YOU DO, TAKE 'EM TO BED AFTER FIVE MINUTES OF BAD PICKUP LINES?! AND DON'T TELL ME YOU FORGOT ABOUT THE TIMES YOU'D TALK SHIT ABOUT THEM TO US! NO WONDER WE DID WHAT WE DID!"

"I THOUGHT THAT WOULD'VE SHOWN YOU NOT TO BOTHER WITH BOYS!"

"WELL, WE FOUND SOME THAT WE LIKE SO WE TRIED TO MAKE SURE THEY WOULDN'T RUN OFF!"

"UGH… You brats…" the Kanker mother scowled, putting a hand on her forehead as if getting a migraine. "All that did was make you look like desperate, cheap hookers!"

Somehow, even though Marie knew all too well the kind of attitude her mother had, that last sentence struck a nerve. What parent would call her own children whores? That question also ran through the mind of Edd. When things got loud, Edd nervously backed away a bit, hoping not to draw any of the mad mother's ire toward him. How was he supposed to communicate with someone like that? She ranked almost as high as Pebble-In-His-Shoe Ed or Disrespected Rolf in terms of intimidation. But then, when she mentioned what the Kankers' actions made them look like, something in him reacted. Upon retrospection, it was similar to how he felt when Eddy had called Marie a 'tramp' in a previous prison visit.

"That's quite enough, Ms. Kanker!" Edd declared, marching back up toward the pair.

"And who the hell are you?! Hmm… You seem familiar…" the mother snarled, having noticed the sock-headed boy for the first time since answering the door.

"Umm… Yes. I am Eddward. I was one of the boys that your daughters… um… pursued. That aside, please cease from referring to your daughters as harlots!" Edd scolded, standing straight up and maintaining proper eye contact with Ms. Kanker. As annoyed as he was, there was no reason not to try being civil about expressing his displeasure.

The mother was startled for a moment. Although it was hard to tell whether it was because of the victim defending his former bully or the idea that this scrawny thing was the boy of Marie's affections. Either way, she didn't appreciate being told what to do. "And why should I!?"

"Oh, don't act all high and mighty, Maw! You already forget about our dads?" Marie started again.

"You better not bring that up again, missy!"

"What, so we're not allowed to date just because you had a few deadbeats? Is that it?!"

"Preferably YES! I should've put my foot down about this ages ago!"

Marie grew frustrated. "Ugh, why are we arguing in circles about this…? You made mistakes, we made mistakes, all that's in the past now. Can we just move on already?"

"I'd certainly like to." Edd chimed in, awkwardly.

"Nobody asked you, ya twig!" Marie's mother snapped at the young prodigy, causing Marie to grow more agitated.

"You don't talk to him like that, Maw! All we wanted was to see about us coming home. We were pardoned. Legally. We've learned some things… We're not gonna step outta line again. We promise. Would that be okay?" Marie growled, trying to be civil again.

Her mother scowled, looking more like a bouncer that's fed up with a persistent somebody that's not on the list. After a couple of moments, she let out a snort, appearing to have thought of something. "On the condition that you stop chasing boys for good. That includes never talkin' to this damn twig o' yers again." The smug look on the elder Kanker's face reminded Edd of an overconfident Eddy during a scam. He found the comparison to be rather creepy… Either way, he didn't like how she was practically hoping Marie would just refuse and leave. Had she no empathy at all?

Marie rolled her eyes. "Ya won't catch me chasing anyone around anymore, but I'll stand by my friend, thanks." she replied, refusing to budge.

"He leaves and never returns." Ms. Kanker merely replied, glaring at the nerd practically hiding in Marie's shadow as he nervously fidgeted.

"He's still my friend." Marie fired back, returning her steely gaze.

"Who the hell befriends their stalker anyway?" At this point, Edd likened the argument to a swordfight between two equally-skilled combatants, each blow parried by the other and neither giving up.

"People that believe in second chances. Maybe you've heard of the concept? You've seem to have tried it before with low-quality guys." Marie snarked.

"As if you're doing any better. Your little dork looks like he couldn't even lift a bundle of newspapers for a paper route." Ms. Kanker retorted. At this, Edd had to raise an eyebrow. Dork? Was that particular insult always going to follow the Eds everywhere?

"If I wanted somebody brawny, I'd just order an oversized blow-up doll. It'd pretty much be the same result. At least Double D's got smarts. And look, he ain't runnin' at the first sign of big trouble! I was branded a criminal and he actually came to visit me. A lot, actually. Would our dads have done the same for you?!"

"You are just not going to stop pointing that out, are you?!"

"No, because you're being ridiculous!"

"Says the convicted stalker!"

"PARDONED stalker, you mean!" And it was at this point that Edd's sword fighting comparison in his mind morphed into a mere slapping session. In any case, that was about all that he could take.

"I would have to concur with Marie, Ms. Kanker. Your daughter speaks the truth about what happened at the prison. The Kanker Sisters have spent plenty of time thinking over what they have done. Now before you interrupt me again like you're just about to, allow me to say one thing about this. Do you know why I even went to visit her in the first place?" Edd spoke, actually taking a step forward.

"Because you're a damn idiot?" the Kanker matriarch huffed, unimpressed. Marie clenched her fists, upset. She remained silent because she wanted to hear what her favorite Brainiac had come up with for this situation.

"Actually, it was because I felt horrible that your daughters were incarcerated to begin with. In hindsight, Marie and her sisters may have done things that were… unwarranted toward us throughout the entirety of our acquaintance, but it wasn't like they intended any harm, nor did they seek to rob our houses or anything of the sort. Surely, a grounding by their mother would've sufficed more than a juvenile facility." Edd calmly explained.

The Kanker mother scowled, contemplating the lad's words. "Surprisin' to see someone actually side with his stalker. Let's say that you have a point. Ya don't look like ya've been scarred for life or somethin'… So you're sayin' this is a case of… what? Girls will be girls?"

"I would wager that it's more like a big misunderstanding between mother and daughters. Um, not to say that you were a poor parent, of course! These things can happen to the best people, after all! I myself don't exactly have the textbook bond between myself and my parents… As both spend most of their time with their jobs, we tend to not see each other often and usually communicate via post-it notes. So… yeah, everyone has their quirks…" Edd nervously prattled, growing more concerned with the sour expression on the face of Marie's mother.

"…You're weird, boy." Ms. Kanker spat after a moment, appearing to have slightly calmed down. "Guess that's true enough, though. Never did see my maw much either when I was a young'un. Tried to involve me in things when she could, but that wasn't often… Even so, don't take that as meanin' that I should've done better or somethin'. You try copin' with the idea that every guy ya been with decides to practically fake their own death at the first sign of anything difficult. A few times of that, you'd be feelin' pretty pissy about your kids datin' too."

Edd sighed. "While I'm sure that's not a pleasant experience at all, I'm sure you can forgive your daughters over gaining a brief criminal record. I'm sure my fellow Eds would also consider your family forgiven for all that's happened anyway. Water under the bridge, as they say."

Ms. Kanker scoffed and pointed a finger at Edd. "Of course you'd forgive us. You's the timid one with not much backbone. Not much for causin' trouble or fightin' back. Heh…"

"Maw…" Marie warned her, scowling slightly.

"Aw, knock it off, Marie. I'm sure he's used to bein' badmouthed. Besides, ain't easy to admit when yer wrong sometimes… Ugh… Alright, you three can come back. All I's ask is that you don't get the cops' attention again. That means no stalking! We'll… discuss things later…"

"Thanks, Mama." Marie said, calmly. In truth, she was glad to hear that she had a home again, but the argument and the mother's rash decision to abandon the trio had left a sore spot. She was sure Double D would most likely advise her that it would take a bit of time for the relationship between her and her mom to heal.

"You're welcome." Ms. Kanker replied, sounding about as friendly as she was ever going to get on this day. Which wasn't a lot at all… It was better than anger, though. The two teens counted this as a win in itself, Double D in particular. Marie hadn't been kidding about her mom being intimidating.

Seeing that the conversation quickly drifted into an awkward silence, Marie told her mother that she was going to see where her sisters went off to and proceeded to lead Edd out. It was probably good to let her mother simmer about this development anyway.

"Well, that was… something…" Edd stated as they left the trailer park and started down the path back to the cul-de-sac, one of the few moments where his vast vocabulary failed to acquire a fitting description of what had just occurred.

"Sorry, Double Dreamboat… That's just how she is sometimes. At least we Kankers have a home again. But man, it's going to take something big for me to fully forgive her quickly for all that 'we're done' bullshit drama. Otherwise, she'll be waiting a while…" Marie grumbled, kicking aside a decent-sized pebble as she walked along.

"Give it time, Marie. That's about all one can do. At least it doesn't seem like it's completely unrepairable." Edd replied, daring to glance at her. He saw her nod along with his answer.

"…Yeah. It's gonna be pretty awkward in that trailer for a while. Too bad I get impatient sometimes, eh?" Marie quipped half-heartedly.

Edd actually chuckled a little at the bluenette's witticism. "I'm sure you'll find something to pass the time. Knowing our brand of luck, give it a couple of days and it'll be back to normal with you and your sisters holding down the trailer while your mother's at her job. I'm assuming she has a job, of course. Of all the times we ended up visiting, we never seen your mother around…"

Marie snickered as well, although at Edd's optimism. "Yeah, she's got a job. And sometimes she ends up hittin' the bar with a couple of coworkers she befriended, so that usually means we run the trailer most of the time. We're lucky we caught her on a day off today."

"I see. Hmm… I suppose we should find our compatriots. Who knows what they may have gotten into while we were reclaiming your home." Edd suggested. He was beginning to wonder if Eddy and Lee had gotten into some form of trouble.

Before Marie could reply, she felt something grab onto her hand. Looking toward it, she noticed it was Edd's hand having taken hers as he began to walk somewhat faster. She wondered if he intended to do that or if it was just some spontaneous action. Or maybe he was just hinting that they should go faster and didn't realize the kind of action he took? Smiling to herself, she decided to just go with it. No need to cause him to let go over the cheap thrill of busting his chops.

Not even a full day out of jail and Marie's life was looking up.

A short while later…

"AND ANOTHER THING I'VE BEEN MEANIN' TO SAY, WHAT'S WITH THE CRAZY HAIR, YOU WACKO?! HOW CAN YOU EVEN SEE THROUGH THAT THICK-ASS MANE?!"

"IT'S MY NATURAL HAIR, SHORTSTUFF! RED, THICK, AND UNTAMABLE! Hmm… Kinda like myself if I do say so. AS FOR HOW I CAN SEE, IT'S A TALENT! SORTA LIKE BEING ABLE TO WEAR SUNGLASSES AT NIGHT!"

"IT'S STILL WEIRD!"

"YOU'RE STILL SHORT!"

"GAH! WILL YOU STOP BRINGING THAT UP!?"

"AS SOON AS YOU STOP YELLIN' AND LEMME SAY WHAT I GOTTA SAY!"

"DAMMIT, LEE, WHAT MAKES YA THINK I'LL LISTEN?!"

Edd and Marie entered the cul-de-sac to notice two things. The first and obvious thing was that Eddy and Lee were still yelling at each other. The second was the fact that the loud argument had gotten the attention of the rest of the cul-de-sac kids, as the familiar group of friends were standing about, listening to the conversation. Rolf had his goat, Victor, with him. Kevin was snickering to himself, chowing down on some popcorn he brought out with him when he realized his eternal nemesis seemed to be in some sort of misery. Typical Kevin…

"Good Lord, are they still arguing?!" Edd asked the group as he and Marie wandered into the scene.

Sarah, nonplussed by Marie's presence so close to Double D, took the liberty of answering. "Yep. Gotta say I'm surprised by how their voices haven't worn out yet."

"I'll say. At this rate, neither will be able to talk very well by the time they're 40. They really oughta be careful." Jimmy added.

"Ah, hello, Brainy Ed-Boy and Punky Kanker Girl! Have you come to enjoy the humorous bickering of the odd couple over there?" Rolf jovially asked, waving the pair over.

"Hello, Rolf. Actually, we were hoping to calm them down. I'm not sure if you all have heard the specifics or not, but the Kanker Sisters have been legally pardoned from the juvenile facility they were sentenced to. I fear that they might be sent back if an adult summons the cops for a 'disturbing the peace' charge. Nobody should have their second chance wasted on a mere folly like this. Surely you agree, yes?" Edd answered, declining the bag of weird snacks that Rolf had held out for the pair to reach in and take some of.

"Is Rolf hearing correctly? You, an Ed Boy, actually DON'T want Pesky Kankers to go away anymore?" Rolf exclaimed, somewhat surprised.

"Specifically, I never thought they deserved prison, Rolf. Aside from a certain incident involving ships and bottles, they never really harmed anyone. Why should they be imprisoned for the folly of youth?" Edd replied, beginning to wonder how many times he would have to explain his reasons.

Sarah shook her head in minor exasperation. "You are sometimes too nice for your own good, Double D. But that's why you're likable." she added, smiling at him. Marie didn't even pretend not to notice the blatant compliment, but decided against making a scene about it. The short-fused redhead saw the bluenette's disapproving glance. Sarah began to mentally draw a conclusion that Marie was still bent on having Double D at any cost. Lee's persistent yelling didn't seem to help dissuade such a thought, even though that bossy attitude was usually normal for just Lee.

Meanwhile, Marie was having thoughts of her own, mostly trying to figure out whether Sarah was going to be competition or not. Double D did mention that the redhead's temper tended to make the idea of dating Sarah to be a dangerous one. Who knows if those two would even be truly compatible? All Marie knew was that Sarah's passive interest in the Brainiac still lingered. Couldn't the Living Time Bomb just stick to her effeminate best friend, Jimmy?

All while the argument continued ever onward…

"I'M TRYING TO SAY I'M SORRY, YOU JACKASS!"

"IF YOU'RE SO SORRY, WHY'RE YA EVEN HERE, KANKER?! YA KNOW I RATHER NOT SEE YOU MUCH, IF AT ALL!"

"YOU'RE BEGINNING TO ENJOY THIS AND YOU KNOW IT!"

"SEZ YOU!"

"BECAUSE I KNOW IT!"

"BAH! AS IF YOU'D ENJOY IT IF SOMEONE JUST BARGED RIGHT IN YOUR HOME UNEXPECTEDLY!"

"I KNOCKED, YA KNOW!"

"YEAH, AFTER YOU WALKED RIGHT IN!"

"YOU'RE REALLY MAKING THIS DIFFICULT, TINY!"

"YOU WOULD TOO IF I BROKE IN YOUR ROOM JUST AFTER YOU SHOWERED!"

"I SWEAR THAT WAS JUST BAD TIMING! THE VIEW I GOT WAS JUST ICING ON THE CAKE!"

"AND IF OUR ROLES WERE REVERSED AND I GOT A SURPRISE PEEK AT YA, YOU'D PROBABLY PUNCH ME BY NOW ANYWAY!"

"THE HELL ARE WE TALKIN' ABOUT THIS FOR?! JUST LEMME APOLOGIZE, YOU STUBBORN FOOL!"

"YOU'RE BEGGING TO APOLOGIZE WHILE CALLING ME NAMES AT THE SAME TIME! OH, THAT TOTALLY MAKES SENSE!"

"MORE SENSE THAN SOME OF YOUR SCHEMES, AT LEAST!"

"JUST FOR THAT, NOT FORGIVEN!"

"DAMMIT, EDDY, YOU'RE GONNA HEAR ME OUT!"

"NUH-UH!"

"YEA-HUH!"

"NUH-UH!"

"YEA-HUH!"

"NO!"

"YES!"

And it was then that the eavesdropping group of friends finally had enough. "WILL YOU BOTH JUST CAN IT ALREADY!?" everybody managed to yell in unison toward the direction of Eddy and Lee's bickering. Even Jimmy and Edd screamed alongside their fellows.

Meanwhile, with the loud couple…

"WHAT THE?!" Eddy shrieked.

"Everybody heard us?!" Lee asked, glancing around. Her face was becoming as red as her hair from the thought of everyone having heard their argument. Sure, she knew they were loud people, but it's still awkward when something like that's pointed out.

"They heard the whole thing?! ARGH! THAT'S IT, LEE! OUT!" the short con-artist demanded, opening his exit door and pointing out in overdramatic fashion.

Lee sighed, aggravated. "Dammit, just listen for a minute. Just one minute and I'm out. No tricks. No nothin'. That acceptable for ya?" The head Kanker, finally having been deflated by the neighborhood's outburst, gave up on trying to yell her point across. He was just going to fight fire with fire, stubborn as always.

Eddy thought for sure Lee was going to keep yelling. He didn't expect her to actually use an indoor voice now. Maybe he was winning? That had to be it! He was winning the argument! Now all he had to do was to make sure she left. "Hmmm… Five seconds." Eddy replied, smirking.

"Thirty." Lee grumbled a counteroffer.

"Ten." Eddy fired back.

"Deal." Lee huffed, walking toward the open door. She stopped by the entrance, looking down at her curmudgeon of a crush. "I'm sorry for stalkin' ya. There. I said it. So, later." she simply said before walking out.

Eddy kept an eye on her from his doorway as she walked out of his yard, halfway expecting her to pull some sort of deceptive trick to immediately get close to him again. A minute passed after she went out of sight. Then another. Nothing. No Lee. No tricks. Eddy shut the door and locked it. Cautious, he snuck over to his closet and then quickly looked in, attempting to catch whatever lay within off guard. But there was nothing.

He checked under his bed, but there wasn't anything except the ever-growing amount of scattered trash. He then looked in his dresser drawers… If Ed could be found in the most peculiar of places, so could a Kanker. At least, that's what the con-artist figured.

"Huh… Whaddya know? She's actually gone. And… she apologized. That means…. Hah! I WON! I GOT HER TO QUIT! YES!" In his elation, he quickly put on a record of music to dance to and proceeded to do a victory dance. "With that pest outta the way, I can finally get back to what I was doing!" Eddy exclaimed, ending his dance with a pose that included having his arm raised with a finger pointing upward. But then he realized something…

"…Uh… What was I gonna do again? Agh! Damn that Kanker!"

Meanwhile…

Marie and Edd noticed Lee walking away from Eddy's house a few minutes after the cul-de-sac's demand that they be quiet.

"Well, aren't you two chummy? Certainly faring better than I am with that midget." Lee muttered as the pair walked over to her. She was clearly upset by Eddy's adamant refusal to listen to her.

"I swear, that boy's going to be the end of one of us someday, Lee." The young genius once again felt embarrassed by the behavior of one of his cohorts.

"Yeah, well, for my sister's sake, I'd almost say it'd better be me than you. Almost." the redhead replied as she brushed by the sock-hat-clad boy.

"I do apologize for his rudeness, Lee. I'll talk with him about this. In the meantime, it may be good if you just give him some space. I know you don't like being told what to do and that's not my intent here, but I'm merely trying to help." Edd advised, glancing in the direction of Eddy's house.

Marie backed Edd's statement. "Yeah, Lee. If anybody can get that goon to listen to reason, it's Oven Mitt. Let Eddy be and see the magic happen."

"Ugh, fine. You two better be right. Man, I'm not even sure what I'm even doin' anymore…" Lee said, shaking her head and slumping her shoulders in defeat.

"To be fair, you three were quite persistent over the entire time that we had known each other. Eddy's personality tends to be the kind that doesn't exactly exude quick forgiveness… But as they say, some things that are worth pursuing take time. But I will agree that Eddy himself does need to work on his temper." Double D assessed.

"Whatever… All I gotta do's find May and see about gettin' Maw to let us back home." Lee said, wanting to change topics.

"Already taken care of, Lee. Thanks to us, we're home again! All I had to do is bring Muffin along and let him talk some sense." Marie grinned, praising her friend's efforts.

"Not exactly the most pleasant of situations, but I managed alright." Edd modestly said, just glad that it's in the past now.

The news brought a smile to Lee's face. "Well, looky who's bein' helpful again. Nice goin', Socko. Maybe I should've went after you instead." Lee chuckled, giving Edd's hat a playful tug, careful not to pull it off. Rather than being offended, she was amused at the prodigy's nervous flinching at the idea of being the target of her bossy affections instead of the target of Marie's punky self.

"Umm… I appear to have plenty on my plate, as it were. Uh, thanks anyway?" Edd timidly replied, not sure what exactly to say to something like that. As smart as he was, he still had plenty to learn about social interactions with women…

"Eh, you'll find your own guy someday, Lee. Although… they do say that sharing is caring." Marie hinted playfully, snickering as she watched her Oven Mitt stammer and blush over the implications of such an idea.

The tallest Kanker got the gist of Marie's joke and smirked. "Might be something to think about there, Marie. Let's go find May, alright?" Lee said, snickering as she walked ahead. Edd was still trying to find a response to Marie's remark.

"Oh, don't worry about her, Muffin. We were only jokin' with ya. Looks like we gotta teach you how to get some of that charisma, huh?" the bluenette said as she took a step forward and then waited for Edd to follow.

Edd gulped and quickly focused back on the current situation. "Ah, maybe, Marie… I suppose it wouldn't hurt if I weren't so easy to fluster with mere words." he admitted, starting to walk with Marie. Lee was walking toward an obvious location of where the missing Kanker could be: Ed and Sarah's house…

"Eh, you'll learn. If ya could master book smarts, you can master street smarts. That brain's gotta have plenty of room for more than just your education." Marie said as they followed their redheaded leader around the house and toward the familiar basement window that the Eds typically entered and exited from.

"Damn, what a dump… and we live in a trailer park!" Lee couldn't help but comment as she looked into Ed's room. Double D couldn't exactly disagree with the brash Kanker. He long since lost count of how many times he wished the oafish Ed would actually clean up. Lee stuck her head through the window to see if May or Ed were around, but to her chagrin, the room lay empty. She quickly withdrew due to the room's tendency to have a permanent, lingering low-key stink to it, no thanks to a certain someone…

"Ugh… What May sees in that dope, I'll never know. Don't even wanna find out what that smell is… They ain't there anyway, so… any guesses on where else they could be?" Lee asked.

Edd had a couple of places where the missing pair might have ventured to. First, the trio checked the playground, thinking that they could be playing there. But alas, neither the buck-toothed blonde nor tall oaf were to be found there. They then trekked to the nearby candy store. Ed may be clueless about a lot of things, but he did have a little money. With their newfound friendship, maybe Ed thought to treat her to a Jawbreaker or two. It was a nice sentimental thought, but the duo weren't there either.

Lee began to grow annoyed again as they made their way to the next place Double D thought up: the construction site. If the three were to stop and think about it, it was particularly bizarre that whatever was being built here was still never completed. But on the other hand, part of that may have been partly due to some of the Eds' past shenanigans having involved the site in some manner, usually destructive. Either way, the trio had other things on their mind than the ever-present weirdness of their neighborhood. Despite the good chance that Ed and May could be playing here, they were nowhere to be found.

Edd had one final place in mind before the group had to resort to guesswork. The junkyard. Countless times the trio of boys used the area as a hangout or, when the cul-de-sac kids were angry with them, a hideout. Fortunately for the two Kankers and Edd, their missing companions were here, judging from the rowdy voices that could be heard long before they could actually find them.

When they came across them, nearby the broken-down van that the trio would sometimes lounge in, Ed and May were clearly playing pretend, role-playing that they were on an alien planet and under siege by enemies that their minds had conjured up. To Edd, this was normal, with the exception of seeing May joining in on the imaginative tomfoolery.

The Brainiac had to smile at the scene before them. "Well, isn't this something? Despite the absurdity of it all, it appears that Ed is getting over his fear of Kankers. Letting May into his playtime is surely a big step in their bond. Perhaps the two have more in common than even I realized." Edd theorized as he watched the pair pretend to shoot 'enemies' with their 'blasters'.

Lee had to chuckle. "Of course ya wouldn't realize that. You three were too busy runnin' from us. But we were too busy chasin' ya down, so I can't blame yas for not knowin' much about us."

"Yeah, Lee's got a point there… Hmm… Well, no time like the present to bond a little more, I suppose." Marie said, suddenly getting an idea. "Say, aren't those 'aliens' over there tryin' to flank Ed and May?" she asked Edd, hinting at something as she picked up a random object from the ground. A turkey baster, or as Eddy once dubbed it, a 'Canadian squirt gun'…

Edd caught on to what Marie was suggesting. "Really, Marie? I thought we were just going to find our comrades."

"C'mon, Oven Mitt. Consider this a lesson in loosening up around your peers. We're all just kids, ya know. Ya got your bright future ahead of you. One afternoon of shenanigans ain't gonna hurt your IQ any. Besides, who's gonna see you in this teenage wasteland anyway? ( **2** ) It's just us here." Marie said, grabbing another random thing and tossing it over to Edd, who fumbled with it as he barely caught it.

"Umm… Well… I guess that's true… So… Aliens trying to sneak attack our friends, huh? That just will not do." Edd stated, checking over the item Marie tossed at him. A broken hair-dryer. It could pass as a pretend 'blaster', Edd supposed.

"Eh, when in Rome. Or would it be Mars, in this case?" Lee snickered, picking up a car bumper, planning on using it similar to Darth Maul's double-bladed lightsaber. "Besides, I got some frustration to vent. Be very quiet, I'm hunting Eddys!"

"That's not a very healthy attitude, Lee…" Edd warned.

"That's why I'm venting it, Socko. Gotta get it offa my big ol' chest sometime. Might as well be this." Lee said, swinging her weapon around before posing in a way that flaunted her aforementioned chest. Marie shook her head at her sister's antics, giggling at how her Oven Mitt was again flustered by such actions. The bluenette knew that Lee was just messing with him as her way of getting a certain con-boy off her mind.

"I… uh… Let's just charge, shall we?" Edd stammered before running off toward the pair of 'space marines'.

"Nice going, Lee." Marie snickered.

"He'll come around." Lee said, a mischievous smirk playing on her face. Marie raised her visible eyebrow at this.

"You're just messin' around, right? Right…?" Marie asked as Lee simply walked toward the ensuing 'battle'. "Lee…? Hey, don't you use my Muffin as a rebound guy!" she declared, catching up to Lee. In response, Lee simply started running, laughing all the way. All in all, it was a fun couple of hours of Eds and Kankers pretending to blast some evil aliens, wreaking some mischief upon each other, and getting their minds off their troubles.

It was the first time ever that Eds and Kankers actually had fun with each other. Peach Creek's most notorious feud, for the most part, was finally put to rest.

Meanwhile, back at Eddy's…

The young scammer was still jamming out to his old-school music. All this time and still no Lee. He had been concerned that, now that she was out of prison, she'd double her efforts to corner him. But after getting her to finally leave after that argument, there was no sign of her or her mega-curly red hair. He was thrilled. No more pesky trailer trash, no more Sockhead bugging him about jail visits with guilt trips, just freedom. Everyone wins… except for Lee Kanker, which was just the way Eddy liked it.

However, a small thought began to nag at him from the back of his mind. It wasn't loud enough to where he was visibly bothered by it. But it was there… It was of Double D's constant prattle about how the Kankers were actually improving as people while they were in prison. Combined with Lee's curt, genuine apology, it got Eddy's mind to start conjuring the idea that maybe he should actually give Lee a chance to be a friend. Just a friend. Nothing more. As if her past could be so easily forgiven. As far as Eddy was concerned, she had long since lost her chance to get with the self-proclaimed King Of The Cul-De-Sac. Now, Nazz, on the other hand… There was a girl! If only he could get the trendy blonde to see him as more than just someone to occasionally babysit… He could still remember a certain embarrassing incident involving her babysitter job. It was fortunate that Sockhead and Lumpy didn't remind him of it every so often…

He began to wonder how he could build some sort of bond with Nazz… And then it hit him. An idea for his next scam!

Eddy was certain this would net him some dollars!

The next day…

Edd was grumbling already as he left his house. Marie had been waiting outside for him. It wasn't the Punk's presence that bothered him, though. He gladly welcomed her company. What was particularly bothersome for the Brainiac, however, was the persistent texts from Eddy about a mysterious new scam idea he had… When will that loudmouth ever learn? He expressed his concerns to Marie as they walked over to the abandoned construction site. Eddy had said to meet there for a change, instead of the street or the alley.

When the pair arrived, they saw a peculiar sight…. Eddy, wearing a yellow hardhat and holding a megaphone (as if he needed his voice to be any louder). Ed was standing nearby, also with a hardhat on.

"Ah, good! You came, Sockhead! Oh… and you brought Marie… Well, that's okay. Another pair of hands! This'll be great!" Eddy greeted, momentarily souring when he noticed the Kanker's presence, but quickly regaining his excitement.

"Really, Eddy, I do wish you'd stop being so disdainful toward Marie. Things are different now. Anyways, what's going on? And why pray-tell are you two wearing hardhats?" Edd asked, not sure if he was liking where this was going.

"Our latest scam is actually a favor. This dump! It's always been sitting here, not even half done. Well, maybe if somebody were to finish it, that person would get rewarded for it. With your brains and Lumpy's brawn, it shouldn't be that hard, right? I mean, we built that treehouse that one time." Eddy proclaimed, much to the surprise of Edd and Marie.

"You want us… to finish this building?!" Edd asked, already wondering how much junk he'd have to scavenge from the junkyard in order to make one building out of it.

"Uhh… I may be officially new to this group, but… this doesn't sound like a scam at all." Marie commented, finding this idea to be questionable at best.

"Indeed, Marie. It almost sounds like Eddy wants to… gasp… actually try his hand at honest work!" Edd exclaimed in shock. He never thought he'd see the day where such a thing would happen.

"Bah, there's a way around everything, guys. Don't get so dramatic. Eddy-ma Construction ( **3** ) at your service!" Eddy proudly declared, hopping up onto a pallet of concrete bags to symbolize his supposed authority.

"And just how do you expect us to build a sturdy, safe building? There's licenses and code enforcement that we'd have to obtain and follow, not to mention the fact that we're just teenagers, Eddy!" Double D complained, his exasperation quickly overcoming his surprise at Eddy wanting to attempt work.

"First off, we have your brain here. You'll do what you'll always do and figure out all the specifics for us. And besides, if this is too adult for you to jury-rig something, well…" Eddy coughed. "For a job like this… YOU LOOK IT UP ON THE INTERNET AND START BUILDING!" he yelled through his megaphone excitedly before guffawing again.

Edd facepalmed, groaning. "Good Lord…" He then quietly conversed with Marie. "I suppose I'll just do what I did when we did that Cardboard City scam in the alley that one time… It's statistically impossible that the three of us can manage to complete whatever this domicile was supposed to be in a day. I say 'three' because we both know Eddy will just supervise and I figure it'll be just one day before he might grow bored and resort to scamming again…"

"I'm guessing I picked a weird time to start hangin' with you three regularly?" Marie quietly asked.

"Considering that the three of us met when Eddy tried to convince Ed to eat a TV whole? I suppose you could say that…" the young genius answered, watching as Eddy started scribbling on a clipboard he found. Edd guessed that the con-artist was thinking of what the building could look like.

"Eh. I think I can adjust." Marie joked, the mischievous gleam in her eye hinting at the memories of previous Kanker shenanigans, not that Edd needed any reminders.

And with that, Marie and Edd went off to see how much cardboard they could scrounge up. She may have been dragged into one of the loudmouth's many schemes, but she had to admit, this was vastly better than prison. She planned to keep it that way.

Well, maybe without the ridiculous schemes…

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:** And that ends this chapter. The Kankers are out of prison and things have certainly changed. But are they all for the better? Is Sarah actually still interested in Double D? Is Lee actually looking for a rebound or was she just messing around? Who knows? All I know for sure is one fact… Now that the main idea for this story (Kankers in prison) is done, where shall I go from here? If anybody has some ideas they'd like to possibly see, feel free to throw them out there in some reviews.

Man, I hope I did the "Marie and Edd meet the Kankers' mother" scene well enough. Obviously, I was trying to convey the idea of a very flawed relationship between parent and children. Wanted to do the concept justice and I thought about how it would go for a while. This is the result I came up with. Some feedback would be appreciated.

Reference Footnotes:

1) Any hardcore gamer worth his/her salt would most likely recognize this dialogue as a parody of the opening scene of Gears Of War 1. Heh… Imagine the Kankers packing those iconic Lancer chainsaw-guns.

2) I had a song in my mind when I was thinking out this particular scene of the trio finding Ed and May in the junkyard and deciding to join in their role-playing just to help clear their heads. "Baba O'Riley" by The Who, otherwise known to many as "That old song where the main chorus goes 'TEENAGE WASTELAND! It's only TEENAGE WASTELAND!' Ya know! That song!" I think that song would fit well in that scene, playing in the background.

3) Another video game reference here. Where the Yakuza fans at around here? Anyways, Eddy's hare-brained idea is a reference to the recently-released remake of Yakuza 2 (entitled Yakuza Kiwami 2). Specifically, the Majima Construction subplot involving the series' insane lunatic, Goro Majima. Despite the fact that this construction idea is a bit of a stretch for someone like Eddy to think of, I could definitely see Eddy yell the Majima quote "For a job like this, you look it up on the internet and start building!". Is that not fitting of Eddy's get-rich-quick slacker personality?

And now, without any further delay, it's high-time for **Reader Review Replies**! NO PERSONALIZATIONS! DON'T ASK! NOT GONNA GET IT! …..Kidding! Those that have played the new Spider-Man game for PS4 might recognize that J. Jonah Jameson line. You know I appreciate your reviews. That being said, let's dive into that mailbag!

fairy-circle – Thank you for enjoying this story and I'm hoping you'll forgive my delay. I agree that there's too little Edd/Marie around here. A shame, really. I also think Marie is the best Kanker. She always seemed like the most level-headed of the trio.

Sential – Well, I'm finally back and, yes, Eddy's still stubborn about forgiving the Kankers… Stubborn enough to actually make Lee want to stop pursuing him? Well, I guess we'll see, but I felt like it'd make sense to put a hint of that idea out there. Even a Kanker can only take so much, right?

MEADynasty and Josh Spicer – To the both of you, I'll apologize for the excessive 4th-wall-breaks in that last chapter. I guess I forgot that this is only Ed Edd N Eddy, not Deadpool. Heh… I will admit that I believe my weakest reference was the "Eddy is Toru Yano" one, even though Yano could definitely be considered "a Japanese Eddy", what with his cowardice in conflicts and signature scamming. All that aside, I'm glad you're enjoying this story. Let me know what you think of this one.

RoseShower- Thanks for the support! Hmm… Looking on these reviews, that's 2 votes for "too much 4th-wall!" and 2 for "good amount of 4th-wall". I suppose most things need to have balance, right?

As always, thank you all for reading.


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